Conditional Love
by CoffeeandLiterature
Summary: Alec hadn't realized what telling his parents would mean. He hadn't expected to be sleeping in his car just for being gay. If not for his best friend, he might not have been able to finish college, and started working as a paramedic. Alec also might not have been at the bar that night, might never have met the man of his dreams. Beta'd by Writesalott AU/AH/OOC Malec fic.
1. Chapter 1

**Prologue:**

 _Unconditional love… when Max died three years ago, Alec told his parents that he wanted to be a paramedic instead of taking over his father's law firm. Robert and Maryse had said that as long as he was happy, he could be or do anything he wanted. They always told their children that being happy was all that mattered in the end. They told them that they could do what they wanted as long as it wasn't illegal, that they could be their own person, and that they could love whomever they chose to love, and Robert and Maryse would love them no matter what. They said they loved all of their children unconditionally and that would never change._

' _Well that was a bunch of bullshit!'_ Alec thought as he drove through the streets of New York. Today was a day full of unexpected surprises for Alec. He'd had lunch with his parents to discuss college since the first semester of his freshman year was in full swing, and Alec had thought that since his siblings weren't home, he could discuss the real reason for requesting the lunch date. Alec finally decided to open up to Robert and Maryse about his sexuality. He wasn't ashamed of who he was, he just kept it private because he hadn't met anyone yet. He figured that after he'd started college at the end of the summer, he'd maybe meet someone, and he didn't want it to be a shock to everyone when he decided to bring this potential, and perhaps unconventional, partner home to meet his family for the first time. Alec had finally told his parents that he was gay, and what did they do? Well, they disowned him and kicked him out of the house. They took away his cell phone, laptop, and his inheritance and told him that he was a disgrace to the Lightwood name. The only things Alec had with him were his clothes and his car. Robert and Maryse were at least decent enough to let him have his baby; a black, 2016 Camaro. He parked the car in the college parking lot. At least he was still able to continue college since his tuition was covered by academic scholarships. Now he just needed to find a job along with a place to live. Alec knew it was going to be hard juggling a full time job, as well as maintaining his GPA to keep his scholarship, but it was the price Alec had to pay in order for him to be who he was.

Walking into his English class, Alec automatically spotted his friend Clary sitting in her usual seat. It was never hard to find his petite friend, despite her small stature. She had flaming red, curly, waist length hair, emerald green eyes, and flawless porcelain skin. Clary was absolutely beautiful. If Alec wasn't gay, he would probably have dated her. Alec and Clary had become pretty close during this class; she was the first person he'd met at the school and whenever they were there, they were attached at the hip. Clary was studying to become a Nurse Practitioner so they knew they were going to have a lot of classes together, starting off, at least. In order for Clary to become an NP, she'd basically have to get her doctorate. Alec once asked her why she didn't just go to medical school and her answer seemed simple enough. Her parents were both doctors. Her father was a general surgeon, and her mother was a NICU doctor.

Her brother had just been accepted to Harvard Medical School, to follow in their father's footsteps, but every time Clary watched her parents work, she realized that they both seemed to lack the sense of bedside etiquette that the nursing staff had. When she explained to her parents that she wanted to be a nurse so she could focus more on the patient care, her parents hadn't seemed to mind. From what Clary told him, Alec understood that they both cared deeply about their nurses and said that the medical field needed more people like Clary. Alec had always been very proud of what his friend wished to achieve. Nurses tended to get the short end of the stick when it came to their careers, which mostly had to do with the way the doctors treat their staff, the way the patients treat the nurses, and even the attitudes of the family members of the patients. It truly took a person with a pure heart in order to be, and succeed, in the nursing field. Clary was definitely that person.

Alec sat down next to Clary and gave her a small smile. She gave him a questioning look in return, but Alec just shook his head and mouthed, 'I'll tell you later'. Clary just nodded and faced forward when the professor walked in. They sat through the lecture trying to keep themselves awake; before long Clary was doodling in her notebook while Alec was spacing out. Alec wasn't paying attention to his professor giving a lecture about material that he would probably never use again. He just couldn't get the words that his parents had said to him out of his head.

' _No son of ours is gay, Alexander. We can back you up on your career choices, or anything else you want to do in your life, but a Lightwood is to have a heterosexual relationship. A Lightwood is to have children and carry on the family name. If you can't do that, then you have no place in this family._ ' Those words were the last thing he'd expected to hear coming from his parents. ' _If you can't follow our guidelines, then you can live your life on your own. Give us your credit cards, your phone, and go ahead and pack all of your clothes. As long as you think you're gay, you have no place in this house._ ' Those were the words of his mother. It wasn't a matter of Alec _thinking_ he was gay; he was completely certain that was what he was. He'd known for a very long time, but he just hadn't been comfortable enough with himself to express his interest in other men. But as of today, he was done living a lie, he just wanted to be himself and be free of living as something, as someone, he wasn't. Alec planned on asking Clary if they were still short staffed at the coffee shop she worked at. He knew they'd needed help a few weeks ago, he just wasn't sure if the spot had been filled or not.

Clary elbowed Alec in his side to gain his attention. ' _Damn that girl has some boney elbows!_ ' Alec thought to himself as he rubbed his side.

"Class is over, let's go." Clary said as she helped him pack his bag. They walked out of class in comfortable silence as Clary led them over to a bench. "Okay babe, something is clearly off with you today. Spill." Clary demanded as they sat down.

Alec sighed, "Okay so you know I was having lunch with my parents today, right?" When Clary nodded, he continued, "Well, we were discussing school since the semesters halfway over, soon I'll only have a year and a half left before I can get my certs and become a paramedic. Well, we were discussing a game plan and once we were finished, I told them that I was gay. Since they'd always supported me with every other decision I've ever made, I thought they would support me with my own sexuality." Alec took a deep breath and continued. "Clary, my parents cut me off financially so I was wondering if Java Jones was still hiring. I need a fulltime job." Alec finished while looking down at his hands. He hated feeling so vulnerable but he really needed this job. He looked up at Clary and she was smiling.

"Yes we're still hiring, I can talk to Steve for you. I'll give him your number so he can schedule an interview, if you'd like." She was looking at him with those piercing green eyes and Alec felt like she was looking into his soul. He hated that she could make him feel that way, but at the same time he loved that about her. Alec hated keeping secrets from Clary, but he didn't want to tell her that he no longer had a means of communication, much less was homeless. He decided right then and there that he was only going to give as little information to his friend as possible.

"Well, my parents took my phone when they cut me off. As soon as I get the money, I was going to buy myself a new one," Alec stated, feeling guilty about everything else he was leaving out of this conversation. He was not going to out right lie to Clary, but he was going to omit anything that he could get away with not telling her.

"No worries, where did you park? You can just take me to work and as soon as I'm on duty, I can have Steve come out and talk to you. No big deal," Clary said cheerfully. During his little speech, Alec could tell that Clary was getting pissed. Her face tended to get so red that it rivalled her hair color when she was mad. Alec was just glad that the girl had enough decency to not ask questions. They'd been friends long enough by now to know when she should and shouldn't ask questions or blow up. He was grateful for that; he just really didn't want to tell her anything else right now.

Alec laughed, "Yes Clare, I can take you to work…just admit it, that's the only reason you suggested me coming along to meet your boss." Alec stated with a smile on his face. Clary just batted her eyelashes and gave him the cutest little blush he'd ever seen from the girl. Alec laughed again as they got up and headed to his car. That was probably the first time he'd smiled since leaving his parents' house.

They arrived at Java Jones, or as Clary called it, JJ's, about fifteen minutes later. Clary told Alec to sit in the corner booth while she would go talk to Steve. She handed him an application to fill out while he waited. Alec reviewed the application in front of him, ' _Work History:_ None; _Professional References:_ Clary; _Extracurriculars:_ Archery-10 years, Mixed Martial Arts-14 years; _Achievements or Awards:_ National Honor's Society-Junior and Senior Year of High School, First Place Archery Champion 7 years in a row, First Place National Mixed Martial Arts Division 3 years running. Alec knew that was not necessarily what they may be looking for in an applicant, but given the fact that he didn't have any work experience to note, he decided to give some form of achievement to show that he did have dedication. He desperately needed this job and he was going to go to any length to show that he would be dedicated to the job for as long as he would be able to do so. When it came to the section that asked for his address, Alec froze. He had no idea what to put down, it was not like he had anywhere to live right now, hence the job…well now he was fucked! Alec thought frantically, where the hell could he come up with an address? At that moment, Clary and who he assumed to be Steve, walked out of the back room. Alec silently thanked every deity out there that they came. Maybe if Steve started talking to Alec, he could hand him the unfinished application and he wouldn't even notice.

Steve walked over to Alec and introduced himself. "So Alec, Clary tells me that you're looking for a job?" Steve said as he sized Alec up.

Alec visibly swallowed, "Yes sir, I just recently had a falling out with my family and I'm officially on my own, sir." Alec responded hesitantly. At this point, Alec felt like he was sweating buckets. He'd never been on a job interview before, therefore, he had no idea what was appropriate to say or not. Steve gave Alec an apologetic look and asked him to continue. "I came out to my parents today and they cut me off." Alec mumbled as he fidgeted with a loose strand of his sweater.

"Ah, I see. Well, Alec, do you have any work experience?" Steve asked as he was looking over that section of the application Alec had filled out.

"No sir, but I am a dedicated person, no matter what I do, I try to do everything to the best of my potential." Alec responded nervously.

Steve nodded and continued. "Clary speaks very highly of you, Alec, and I value her opinion so I'm willing to give you a chance." He said with a smile. Alec looked up in shock at that moment.

"Thank you so much for the opportunity, Steve, I promise you won't regret it!" Alec said enthusiastically. At this point he was floating on cloud nine, thinking that maybe being out on his own wouldn't be so bad. Alec got up and shook Steve's hand.

"Now let's talk pay and hours shall we?" Alec sat back down and nodded. "I'm looking for someone who can work full time, right now Clary and I are the only full time employees here, but we need another full timer to be able to open or close the store when Clary and I can't be here. I know you're in school with Clary so I need to know your school schedule so I can work around it. I also want to make sure you will be able to handle working full time without your grades suffering. I'm also willing to pay you thirteen dollars an hour while you're training. It usually takes about two weeks to fully train someone, then I can bump you up to fifteen dollars an hour once you've completed your training. Does that sound fair to you?" Steve asked.

"Absolutely sir! I'm willing to do whatever it takes." Alec responded with a grin.

"Great! Are you available this evening? I have Clary here until seven o'clock tonight and I'd love for you to start training as soon as possible if you're able to?" Alec slightly panicked but ultimately knew that if Clary was with him, he'd be fine.

"I'm free for the rest of the day, sir. And I can go ahead and give you my school schedule now if you need it." Steve smiled and had Alec follow him to the back room to get everything for the hiring process completed. Alec glanced over at Clary who was clearly eavesdropping, and gave her a thumbs up. She fist pounded in the air and mouthed 'Good Job' to him.

After the long, tedious task of filling out tax forms and other paperwork, Alec was finally able to start his shift. Clary taught him all of the different ways to prepare cappuccinos, lattes, and other various forms of coffee. She told him that he was a very fast learner, which he took pride in considering he couldn't afford to not have this job. Next, she took him to the kitchen and showed him all of the recipes for the different cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other pastries they made fresh every morning. He would learn how to actually make those at the ass crack of dawn tomorrow morning. He wasn't aware that he would have to be there at three o'clock in the morning to start baking. It was a good thing that he and Clary weren't closing the store that night. He would have been lucky to get about an hour long nap if that were the case. The rest of the shift consisted of Alec learning the register, keeping the tables and floors clean during slow periods, and also washing dishes as needed.

"Wow dude, you keep this up and there won't be very much for Steve to do when we close," Clary said with a giggle. Alec looked up from the soapy dish water and just smiled and shrugged.

"Hey I'm just trying to keep myself busy in between customers little miss all-knowing Yoda," Alec responded. Once Alec was finished with the few dishes that were in the sink, he took note of the various items that needed restocking and took off to the supply closet to retrieve them. Once he was finished, Steve came out of his office to relieve Clary and Alec.

"So Clary, how did our boy here do on his first day?" Steve asked with an amused grin. He knew exactly how well Alec was doing. Clary had already given him a progress report while Alec was in the supply room.

"Steve, I hate to say this, but I don't think my dear friend Alexander here is going to work out…he keeps putting _me_ to shame!" Clary exclaimed overdramatically. Alec just looked at her and shook his head with laughter. The duo walked out of JJ's and Alec nudged Clary, causing her to nearly fall. Alec couldn't help but laugh at the small redhead.

"That's what you get, punk!" Alec exclaimed as they walked towards his pride and joy.

"Hey! It's not my fault that you were in there trying to take my job away!" Clary explained as she stuck out her tongue, like the adult that she was not.

"Do you need a ride home, Clary? I noticed that you didn't drive yourself to school today. Usually I see your car in the lot." Alec asked. He still didn't want to tell her that he didn't have a place to sleep.

"Nah, I'm going to take a cab home. My dad had to take my car to have a tune up done to it. I may ask for a ride tomorrow if you wouldn't mind, though." With that, Alec hugged his friend and got into his car. He didn't know where to go for the night so he just pulled his car to the back of the store, set the alarm on his watch, and laid the seat down for him to try and go to sleep.

Alec woke up with a start. At first, he was a little disoriented, but quickly remembered that he was sleeping in his car. He sat his seat up, and looked for the person who was banging on his window. He looked up to see a very angry Clary standing outside of his car.

"Get your ass out of that car and explain to me what in the actual fuck you're doing. NOW!" Alec held up a finger for Clary to wait a minute, grabbed a change of clothes, and then stepped out of the car. "Get your ass inside and explain," Clary said while she was holding the back door of the store open with an impatient expression marring her face. Alec walked in and sighed. ' _I guess I can't keep this secret any longer._ '

"Okay, Clary, look, when I told you my parents cut me off, they cut me off of everything. I have no inheritance, no money to my name, no cell phone, and most importantly, nowhere to live. They told me that 'as long as I think I'm gay', there is no room for me to be in their family." Alec felt all of his emotions building up while he was rehashing this conversation with his parents.

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

Alec snapped his head up, and Clary spoke softer, "Alec, why didn't you tell me? Babe, I have a spare room, you're coming home with me and you aren't leaving until you want to, stay as long as you like. It's pretty lonely now that Jon has left for Harvard. But promise me something, okay? Never withhold something like that again. You're one of my closest friends, and if I can help you in any way, you know that I will." Clary stated with her wide emerald eyes. Alec nodded his head and pulled her into a hug.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: I forgot to add this in the last chapter, so here it is.**

 **I do not own TMI, nor do I own it's characters. I own nothing but the plot.**

 **Also, I will be posting a chapter every Friday.**

Chapter 1

 _Five Years Later:_

Alec wakes up early in the morning, even though his shift didn't end until after midnight the night before. He has a reason for getting up at six o'clock on a Saturday morning, though; Clary is graduating today. She and Alec had graduated together three years ago with their Associate's degrees, him finishing up all of his classes to become a paramedic, and Clary becoming a Registered Nurse. Of course, Clary continued on with her Bachelor's, Master's, and now her Doctorate. Alec was so proud of the girl who had become his best friend, and wouldn't miss her graduation for the world. It took a lot of effort from everyone to convince Clary to actually attend her graduation. She stated that she went to her last three ceremonies, why would this one be any different?

"Babygirl, this is your finest work. You've worked your ass off to get to this point. We don't care how boring, and monotonous it's going to be, you need to go," Jon commented one night. Ultimately, her brother Jon, as well as Alec, were the ones to finally convince her. So here he is, waking up after four hours of sleep to support his best friend while she graduates for the last time.

The smell of coffee immediately overwhelms his senses as he stumbles into the kitchen. Nothing has ever smelled nicer to him at that moment. Groaning, he walks over to the coffee pot only to realize that there's already a mug of the steaming hot nectar of the gods ready for him. _I really do love that little redhead_ , Alec thinks to himself as he sips the bitter beverage. Alec's leaning against the counter, contemplating all of the events that have occurred over the last five years. His life has changed dramatically, and he has very little regrets.

Shortly after he'd started working at JJ's, Alec was able to purchase a new cell phone. The only phone number he had memorized was his parents' landline. He desperately wanted to contact Jace and Izzy, so he decided to dial his parents number and hope that one of his siblings answered the phone. Alec, however, wasn't that lucky. His mother answered instead. He had carefully asked if he was allowed to speak to his siblings, but her response was something he had never expected to hear coming from his once loving mother. She informed him that she and Robert had told Jace and Isabelle that because of "certain lifestyle choices" that Alec had made, they were no longer allowed to have any contact with him. His parents had gone ahead and changed Jace and Izzy's cell phone numbers just so Alec could not contact them on his own. Alec had questioned what exactly Maryse said, fearful of how his siblings would react to the news of their older brother being gay, and she said that she and Robert told them that Alec was currently in a relationship that they didn't approve of and, therefore, until Alec "got his act together", he was no longer welcome in their family.

That was the day that he had given up on his family.

Soon after, Alec had met Jocelyn and Valentine Morgenstern, the parents of Jon and Clary. With the Morgensterns paying the rent on Clary's apartment, Clary had told them the situation that Alec was in, and they insisted on meeting him as soon as possible. Alec assumed it was so they knew that their daughter wasn't living with a psychopathic serial killer. He was wrong yet again: Jocelyn and Valentine had wanted to meet him to basically 'unofficially' adopt him. Alec had no idea that Clay's brother, Jonathan, also was not biologically Jocelyn's child.

When they were in medical school, Jocelyn and Valentine were best friends. Jocelyn had set Valentine up with her college roommate Lilith, the two fell in love, and after they graduated, Valentine and Lilith had gotten married. During Valentine's first year of residency, she became pregnant. Complications happened during delivery, Jonathan was sent into the NICU were Jocelyn was working, but Lilith unfortunately didn't survive the birthing process. Once Jonathan was able to leave the NICU, Jocelyn offered to move in with Valentine to help him take care of the baby. Two years later, Valentine and Jocelyn had fallen in love, and were married. Two years after that, Clary was born. Jocelyn and Valentine told Alec that blood doesn't make people family, it's how much they love and respect the other person. They said that they wanted Alec to know that if he ever needed anything at all, to not be afraid to come to them. Even if he just needed someone to talk to, or needed advice, they were more than willing to be there for him. Alec could honestly say that he cried that day. He didn't realize when he left his parents' home, that he would be immediately brought in to another family who actually wanted to be there for him.

Then, there's Jon. Alec and Jon immediately clicked…once Jon realized that Alec wasn't just trying to get into Clary's pants. They found that they had quite a bit in common. They both were into Mixed Martial Arts, they both loved sports, and most of all, they both were fiercely protective of Clary. Alec was also the first person to meet Jon's lovely wife. When Jon first became serious about Holly, an anthropology major at Harvard, Alec met the two for lunch when they came back to Brooklyn for a long weekend. Jon wanted Alec's approval because he thought that if Alec approved of Holly, he would be able to help gain Clary's approval.

Jon planned for them to meet on a Friday afternoon, then have Clary meet her on Saturday, and then his parents to meet her on Sunday before they headed back up to Boston. Jon proposed to Holly the day of their graduation, and they'd been married for about eight months. Alec was Jon's best man, which was an honor to Alec, while Clary was Holly's maid of honor.

Jon works at Brooklyn Memorial Hospital alongside his father, Jocelyn, and Clary. While in medical school, Jon discovered a love for Orthopedic Medicine. He's now in his first year residency and couldn't be happier. Valentine is very proud of Jonathan, even though he didn't become a general surgeon, he is happy that Jon is doing something that he loves. Holly is now a curator for the Brooklyn Natural Living Museum and loves her job. They also found out about two weeks ago that Jon and Holly are expecting their first child. The entire family was thrilled, and Jon recruited Alec to help him put the nursery together with him.

Then, there's Alec's dating life. That is a completely different ballgame. Alec has dated _a lot._ As it turns out, Clary is a kickass wing woman. She and Alec would go out every other weekend to different clubs/bars, and pick up men. Sometimes they would be creeps, but surprisingly, most of the time the guys that they would pick up were pretty nice. Alec decided that because he never dated in high school, he would spend a few years just dating, casual sex if he found a guy who he could trust enough to do that with, and just go out and have fun. Clary and Alec came to an agreement that if they ever wanted to hook up with someone for the night, they would not bring the guy to their apartment. Alec did have a couple relationships that lasted for a few months at a time, but he just wasn't ready to settle down, which also led to the downfall of the relationships. Alec doesn't really dwell too much on that; it's the simple truth.

Alec also just landed a promotion at the Fire Station. He is now the Senior Paramedic for the station, and he's getting a new EMT as his partner on Monday. Alec's former partner and EMT, is graduating today as well, and is taking over Alec's old position as Assistant Paramedic. He's going to miss working with Sebastian, but he won't miss Sebastian's whorish ways, along with the way he speaks about his conquests. Alec isn't really interested in hearing about heterosexual sex. He won't ever admit this to anyone, but listening to Sebastian go on and on about his sexcapades has made Alec lose his appetite more times than he could count, most likely because Sebastian is so blunt about it. Everyone at the station knows about Alec's sexual orientation; he doesn't want to hide who he is, and isn't ashamed of being who he is. Some of the older firefighters, EMTs, and paramedics kept their distance when he first started, but eventually even they warmed up to him. Alec was grateful for that, he didn't want anyone being prejudiced towards him just because he is gay. He also couldn't be happier with the group of guys he works with. They work together like a well-oiled machine. They trust each other with their lives, what more could you ask for with the line of work he's in?

Alec's pulled out of his thoughts when he hears the bathroom door open. He cranes his neck to see Clary padding into her bedroom to start getting ready for graduation. That leaves about a half hour for the water to reheat, then another half hour for him to get ready himself. Alec walks back to his bedroom to pull his suit out for the day. Looking in his closet, he quickly finds the gray suit, sapphire blue dress shirt, and a checked tie with various shades of gray and blue. Luckily, with the ceremony being inside, Alec doesn't feel like he needs to wear his suit jacket so he hangs that back in the closet. Alec heads towards the bathroom to do his business, brush his teeth, and shower. Walking back to the bedroom he dresses, and works on taming his raven locks. Alec returns to the kitchen for another cup of coffee when he notices his tiny best friend drinking a cup of coffee, and eating a bagel.

"Hey beautiful. Ready for graduation, _Doctor Morgenstern_?" Alec asks with a snicker. Clary looks up at him with a glare.

"Please, don't call me that, Alec. Just because I have my doctorate in nursing doesn't make me a medical doctor. I'm not at the same level as my parents or brother." She grabs her coffee mug and plate, and places them in the sink.

Alec comes up to her, pulls her into a hug, and kisses the top of her head.

"I know Clare-bear, I'm just messing with you. I'm very proud of you, you know."

Clary looks up at her best friend and smiles. "I know Alec, I just don't want people giving me a hard time. Do you know how many people come up to me and say 'what, you couldn't handle medical school or something?' and it really pisses me off." She sighs and leans back into his embrace.

"Yeah, people will always give you a hard time, but you don't have to justify yourself to them. Give them the finger, and keep going," Alec says with a twinkle in his eye. Clary laughs at that, then marches to her room to finish getting ready. Alec chuckles while shaking his head, at least he knows how to cheer his best friend up.

~oOo~

The auditorium of the university is filling up pretty quick. Alec finds the Morgensterns, and quickly makes his way to where they're sitting. He hugs Jocelyn and Holly, shakes Valentine's hand, and gives him a side hug. When Alec looks over to Jonathan, he smirks and gives him a bro hug. The group all sits down as the ceremony starts. It's your typical college graduation. Mostly important people speaking in a monotone voice, other dignitaries speak, some of the students with high GPA's speak, but what throws everyone off is when Clary's introduced as her class valedictorian. His best friend failed to mention this small piece of information.

Clary walks onto stage and gives the most breathtaking speech imaginable. It isn't your typical cliché graduation speech where they speak about achieving your dreams, and putting your all into something and expecting great results. This speech spoke about failure, and learning from your mistakes, and being able to build from that. Alec had no idea that his shy, always trying to blend in the background, best friend is capable of writing such an inspirational speech. The entire family's floored, but most of all, they're all so proud of Clary.

After the graduation ceremony, all of the Morgensterns wait near Clary's car with bated breath. They're still completely shocked about the fact that she's valedictorian, much less about her speech. As she approaches, she's swarmed with 'we're so proud of you's' and 'how could you keep a secret like this?' Alec can tell she's getting a bit overwhelmed so he decides to step up.

"Okay, guys, why don't we give poor Clary a chance to breath here? We can all question her once we get to the restaurant," Alec chuckles at Clary's obvious look of relief. Everyone agrees, and separates to their own vehicles. Alec takes Clary's keys, and hops in the driver's seat.

"Okay, let me have it, I know you have a million questions in that head of yours." Clary glances over to see the infamous smirk on Alec's face.

"Well, my dear Clarissa, I just want to know why you, my dearest friend, kept such a huge secret from me, your brother from another mother," Alec says, sporting a huge grin. "That speech was pretty epic by the way."

Clary can't help but laugh. "Well my dearest 'brother from another mother', I didn't tell you or anyone else about my so-called epic speech, because I didn't want to make a bigger deal about it than it already was. I was terrified to go up there today, and I love you all, but you guys would have blown everything out to make it an even bigger deal, and I just couldn't handle that!" Clary exclaims a bit too dramatically, throwing a hand to her forehead in a mocking swoon.

Alec shakes his head.

"So that's why you were internally freaking out this morning, wasn't it? I knew that bullshit response about people giving you a hard time was just some sort of excuse, you've never given a damn about what people think of you."

Clary glances over at him, and sticks out her tongue.

 _Some things never change_ , Alec thinks as he busts out laughing.

Soon after, Alec pulls into the restaurant, and parks next to Jon and Holly.

Once they finish their dinner, they all pull their gifts out to give to Clary. Being the person that she is, Clary is not happy about the whole gift idea. Alec hands his gift over to her first. Alec got Clary a white coffee mug that says 'Hi. I'm your nurse. What stupid fucking thing did you do?' in red letters. He also filled the mug with Clary's favorite black pens. Alec had laughed when he found it, and because Clary shares his addiction for caffeine, he thought it would be a perfect gift for her working in the ER. The entire table gets a good laugh out of that gift. Jocelyn and Valentine are the next ones to give her their present.

They bought her a lab coat with Clarissa Morgenstern, ENP-BC (stands for Emergency Nurse Practitioner) embroidered in navy blue. Clary passed her board certification last week with flying colors. Alec had helped her study for that test for months. Those boards are a bitch to pass. Jon and Holly give her a Littman Master Cardiology stethoscope, which is the Cadillac of stethoscopes. Clary gives her gratitude to everyone for the gifts, then they all part ways. Jon wants to go out and celebrate some more with Alec and Clary, but since Holly is pregnant, he decides to stay with his wife instead. Once the duo makes it back to their apartment, they go their separate ways to take a nap before going out to the bar they frequent. Alec's still exhausted from his shift from the previous night, and Clary's emotionally drained.

~oOo~

After their naps, Alec and Clary start getting ready for their night out. Clary's rummaging through her closet looking for the perfect outfit while Alec is lounging on her bed.

"God, I want to get laid tonight! This week has been way too stressful!" Clary exclaims, her head still in her closet. She pulls out a lavender dress with black lace. She also brings out a pair of thigh high boots with two inch heels.

"Just remember what I always tell you, nugget, no glove, no love. Make sure the douche you hook up with tonight wraps it." Alec can't help but be a little protective of his pint sized friend, she's practically a sister to him.

Clary turns around and looks at him like he's lost his mind.

"Okay, number one, I know how to have safe sex. Number two, I know that you'll be there to make sure I don't hook up with a douche; and three, are you ever going to stop calling me nugget? It makes me sound like a child!" Clary emphasizes her point by slowly walking over to Alec, ready to stab him with her heel. Alec laughs uncontrollably while trying to get the boot out of her hand, causing Clary to start laughing. In typical Clary fashion, she trips over her own two feet and falls onto the bed, crushing Alec while doing so. Alec grunts and pulls Clary off him. Still laughing, he sits up.

"You'll always be my nugget, Clary, it's just because you're so little...just like a nugget," Alec dodges the pillow that she throws at him. "I'll leave you alone to get ready. I need to figure out what I'm wearing as well. You're not the only one hoping to get laid tonight." With that, Alec slips out of Clary's room and goes to his own.

Staring at his closet, Alec finally grabs a pair of tight leather pants that do wonders for his ass, a skin tight white v neck t-shirt that shows off his abs and upper arms, a black vest, and black leather boots. Having donned his clothes, Alec moves on to his hair. Using a slight amount of product, he tousles his hair to give it what Jace would call the 'just got fucked' look. With one last look in the mirror, he heads out to the living room to call a cab, and wait for Clary. They both have a rule that when they go out drinking, they always take a cab to and from wherever they went. No drinking and driving for this duo. A few moments later, Clary walks in looking like sex on legs. Her dress reaches mid thigh with only about two inches of skin showing between where her dress ends and her boots begin. The thin layer of eye shadow and mascara gives her a smoky, smoldering look, while causing her emerald eye to sparkle and pop. She wears her hair up in an intricate twist, a few loose strands framing her pixieish face. Clary gives Alec a quick twirl, loving the fact that her best friend knows about fashion, thanks to his sister, and they head out to meet the cab.

~oOo~

Once they're in the bar, they grab the first table they can find, and Alec is heading straight to the bar and immediately sees Kaelie, the owner, and Brad, the lead bartender, manning the bar for the evening. Alec orders two shots of whiskey, one beer for himself, and one strawberry daiquiri for Clary. As they are sitting, drinking, and enjoying the live band for the night, Clary starts to eye someone on the other side of the room. Alec looks over to see who caught her eye when he finds the source. It's a guy with dirty blond hair, gray eyes, muscular build, and when he smiles, he has a dimple in his left cheek. The guys is fucking hot! The next thing he knows, the guy is walking over. The duo can easily tell that the guy has eyes for the redhead.

"Do you want to talk to this guy or do you want me to run interference?" Alec asks his friend.

"Let's see what he has to say, if he just automatically seems like an arrogant ass, then save me."

Alec chuckles.

"Hey there beautiful, wanna dance?" Blondie asks Clary, who shrugs, turning and winking at Alec, before standing up. Alec watches as she heads out to the dance floor, and just keeps an eye on her to make sure this blond dude isn't a dick. After a while, Alec again walks up to the bar. He knows Clary can handle herself. It's time for him to find someone to hook up with for the night.

Standing at the bar, Alec waits for the busy bartender to make his way over. As soon as he sees Alec, he smirks and approaches.

"What are you having tonight, sexy?" he asks, with an ever-present bartender's smile. Alec chuckles at him. The flirty bartender knows he's gay, and that only encourages him to constantly hit on Alec. Alec always seems to be flustered around Brad, but he refuses to hook up with the man.

"I'll take my usual tonight, Brad." He just shakes his head and sighs.

"Alright, Alec, let me rephrase the question, are you getting your 'I'm just here to unwind from a long week' usual, or are you getting your 'I'm looking to hook up tonight' usual?"

Throwing his head back in laughter, Alec adds, "I'll take an 'I'm looking to hook up tonight' usual."

Nodding, Brad turns around, and starts working on Alec's vodka tonic. While he's waiting on his drink, Alec notices a presence next to him but doesn't pay the person any mind. Brad hands Alec his drink, then moves on to the person standing next to him. When he asks the person what they'll be having, Alec hears a smooth voice that nearly causes his breath to catch in his throat.

"I'll take an apple martini with a side of this blue eyed beauty standing next to me." With wide eyes, Alec turns to face the person, putting a face to that silky voice.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 2

Monday morning came too fast in Magnus' opinion. Sitting in his kitchen, Magnus can't help but to think about those blue eyes that have been haunting his dreams since Saturday night as he sips his tea and munches on his toasted bagel. The blue eyed man, or Alexander- but prefers to be called Alec- as he introduced himself, captivated Magnus' attention as soon as he walked into the bar. Hell, the only indication Magnus knew that Alec wasn't completely straight was by the way he was leaning against the bar while he was chatting with the hot male bartender. The poor man was getting so flustered and blushed profusely when the bartender was hitting on him. Alec almost looked like he wasn't used to the attention the man was showing him.

That was enough of a sign for Magnus to make his move. Once he approached the bar, he'd studied Alec a bit more, the way his eyes lit up when he was laughing at the blonde bartender as he told him that he was going to have his 'I'm looking to hook up usual'. That made Magnus groan internally. He really had thought that he'd be taking Alec home with him Saturday night. Ragnor be damned. The sod hadn't even shown up at the bar on time! Unfortunately, that was not the case. A small redhead ran over to Alec saying that she was ready to go home, and that the guy she was dancing with, ended up being a douche bag. Alec gave Magnus an apologetic look, then left the bar with the girl, but not before Magnus had the chance to slip his number in Alec's back pocket. The only downside was that Alec still hasn't called. It is driving Mangus insane! He never gives out his number, then the one time he does, the guy doesn't even use the damn thing!

Saturday night was just supposed to be him getting in touch with Ragnor for the first time in years. He and Ragnor had attended boarding school together in London. After graduation, Magnus had decided to stay. He wanted to work in civil services; being an EMT gives Magnus the chance to feel like he's making a difference in his profession while enjoying the array of different experiences the position offers.

Even though he had spent most of his adolescence and early adulthood abroad, he still had a good relationship with his parents. They are part of the reason why he eventually decided to leave London and move back to the US. Magnus' father owns several elite restaurants all over New York, as well as other major cities all over the U.S. His father's main restaurant is right here in Brooklyn. Magnus' mother, however, is a true angel. When Magnus first came out as being gay to his parents, he was terrified. Being part of New York's elite, Magnus feared the worst when coming out to them. Instead of disinheriting him, his mother responded with 'We know, we've always known son. You were always getting into my makeup, you constantly wanted the latest fashion trends, and we've seen the way you look at men. It's okay and we support you no matter what.' Magnus was stunned, he had no idea that his parents would take the news so well. Most of New York's upper class were stuffy and old fashioned. Even though his parents never acted that way towards him, Magnus just assumed they would take the news of his sexuality the way others in their position would take it. Magnus didn't even realize at the time that the law office that his mother works for, deals specifically with the LGBTQ+ community. The attorney's work with anything when it comes to same sex rights. They have prosecution attorneys that deal with hate crimes, as well as attorney's that help with same sex adoption. Magnus' mother also hosts charity events for the law firm to raise money for the LGBTQ+ community.

Magnus, now finished with his breakfast, and daydreaming of cerulean blue eyes, gets up to start getting ready for his first shift at the fire station. With excited, yet nervous, energy, Magnus pulls out a pair of dark blue jeans, a plum colored button up, then heads to the shower. Magnus can feel his muscles relaxing under the hot stream of water that cascades around him as he grabs his Tea Tree shampoo. Massaging the shampoo in his hair just relaxes Magnus further. While he's letting his shampoo do its job, he reaches for his sandalwood body wash to begin the rest of his morning routine. After his shower, Magnus reaches for his hair gel, making sure he grabs his normal gel -not his glitter gel- and spikes his hair. Even though Magnus is out and proud, he doesn't want his new coworkers knowing that he's bi. His coworkers in London were not very fond of him just because of his sexuality, and he doesn't want to live through the nightmare that all over again. Magnus has no plans on letting them know anything about his personal life. Once he's finished with his hair, he makes his way back into his bedroom. Magnus dons his clothes, rolls the sleeves up to his elbows, grabs his bag that holds his black steel toed boots, and makes his way to the subway.

~oOo~

Magnus arrives at the fire station about thirty minutes before his shift is due to start, mostly because the Chief made it clear the last time they spoke, that he wanted to show him around the station and give Magnus his uniforms before his actual shift starts at six o'clock that morning. Magnus is looking forward to getting to know his new coworkers and seeing how much different emergency procedures work compared to how they did things in London. Before Magnus could start working as an EMT in the states, he needed to study his ass off and take the certification test. Most certificates in the medical field do not transfer to most other countries. Once Magnus walks into the station, he's greeted by an older gentleman, whom he assumes to be the Chief. Chief Steven Jeffries is right about six feet, has graying hair, stormy gray eyes, and a mustache. He has a kind and inviting smile while he's walking up to Magnus.

"You must be our new EMT. My name is Chief Steven Jeffries, you may call me Chief or Chief Jeffries. Magnus Bane I presume," Chief asks while shaking Magnus' hand.

"Yes, sir. I'm happy to be here," Magnus follows the chief inside. Chief shows Magnus around the entire station, introducing him to some of the staff on duty as they walk by, then they walk into an office, the desk has a stack of papers on one side, and a computer on the other. Chief pulls out a folder from a cabinet and hands it over to Magnus.

"Okay, Bane, I just need you to fill out the information in this folder. This will be your new employee file. I just need you to fill out these forms, which contain emergency contact information, tax information, new hire information, as well as your new insurance forms. While you're filling this out, I'm going to the supply closet to get you some uniforms," Chief leaves when Magnus nods his head in acknowledgement.

Magnus finishes his paperwork as Chief walks back into the office. Looking up, Magnus sees a pile of uniforms in Chief's hands. Standing up to help, Chief just grunts and hands the uniforms over to Magnus.

"Now, there are some things I want to go over with you before you meet your new partner. First, we here are a unit, I do not tolerate discrimination of any type. I want you to know that if you have problems with any of the firefighters, or anyone on the emergency team, please tell me so the issue can be resolved. I don't expect any of my guys to give you a hard time, I just want to let you know that I have a zero tolerance policy on harassment of any kind. If I find out that you are giving my guys, especially your new partner, a hard time, you will be out of here. Understood?" Magnus nods in understanding.

"Sir, I understand completely. When I was living in London, the rest of the crew made my life a living hell because I'm gay." Chief gave Magnus a look of shock. "About a year into my job over there, the rest of the crew stopped speaking to me altogether unless it was job related. When I came back to the States, I decided that I wasn't going to let anyone I work with know my sexual orientation."

"Magnus, I'm so sorry you had to go through that. When I spoke to your previous employer, he informed me that there were some problems that were, and I am quoting him here, 'entirely Magnus' fault, to which I cannot divulge in', which is why I gave you that little speech. I can assure you that it won't happen at this station. My crew knows how to work together to become a single unit. I'm sure you're going to love it here." Magnus lets out a sigh of relief. He's still going to be careful, past experiences have taught him that, but he now at least knows that it shouldn't be an issue.

"With that out of the way, the next thing I want to go over is your schedule. You're going to be partnered with my senior paramedic. He's very competent in his job, and you will learn a lot from him. We are on a rotating shift schedule, for the next ninety days, you will be working 0600 hours to 1600 hours, with us working on a ten hour schedule, you're working for four days, then off for four days. The next rotation will be 1600 hours to 0200 hours, and the last rotation is 2000 hours to 0600 hours. Any questions so far?" Chief looks at Magnus expectantly,

"I do, why is there an overlap between the hours of eight pm and two am?"

Chief grins. "That's the question I was hoping you would ask." Magnus smiles. "It's because usually in that six hour time frame, we get the most calls, therefore, we make sure we have the coverage to handle the calls that dispatch sends to us," Chief proudly explains.

"Also, the firefighters you will work with on your shift keep the same rotation schedule. I like for everyone on my staff to work together, and build that bond. Anytime the firefighters get called in, our emergency staff responds as well. You guys need to be able to rely on each other and work together, I cannot stress teamwork enough." Magnus nods to show that he is listening.

"Now for the most important piece of information, this fire station is fully staffed for Advanced Life Support (ALS), that means, every shift, and every ambulance, has one paramedic, and two EMT's at all times. Usually one of the EMT's primary roles is to drive the ambulance so the paramedic and the second EMT can take care of our patient on the way to Brooklyn Memorial Hospital. BMH is the only level one trauma care hospital in Brooklyn. We have a great rapport with the emergency staff at the hospital, namely because we're in and out of that hospital almost as much as their own staff is," Chief pauses for a moment, "with that being said, welcome to the team Magnus. I'm looking forward to having you on board with us. Go ahead and change into your uniform, and I'll introduce you to your new team." With that, the two men step out of the office.

Magnus exits the locker room to find Chief standing next to a tall man with black hair. As Magnus approaches his boss, the other man turns to face Magnus, and all Magnus can do is freeze. 'It's Alexander! The man who never called him this weekend!' Magnus thinks as he tries to maintain a stoic facade. Chief looks over Magnus to inspect his uniform with a grin.

"Ah Bane! This is your new partner, Alec Lightwood… Lightwood, this is Magnus Bane," Chief introduces them, being completely oblivious to the sudden tension in the room. Magnus is also wondering why in the hell Alexander is throwing daggers at him with his eyes, it's not like Magnus was the one who never called. "Okay boys, I'm going to leave you two to bond, and get to know each other," Chief states as he walks away.

The next thing Magnus hears is a scoff, and, turning around, Magnus just sees Alec walking away. "If you want to 'bond', you might want to follow me, newbie." Magnus jogs to catch up.

"Okay, Alec, what is your problem? We met two nights ago, I give you my phone number, and you're the one who chose NOT to call me! If anything, I should be the one upset here."

Alec turns around and just gapes at Magnus. "Seriously! I come home Saturday night to find a card with chicken scratch on it, realize that a hot guy slips me his number, go to call said number, just to find out it's fake! How is that supposed to make me feel huh?" Alec exclaims. Magnus just looks dumbfounded.

"Okay, so you supposedly called, pray tell, what number did you dial then? I know I never received a single phone call within the last twenty-four hours," Magnus counters.

With an exasperated sigh, Alec pulls out his phone to look through his call history. Looking up at Magnus, Alec hands him his phone. "Considering I threw out that card you wrote your number on, here's my call history, this is the number you wrote down, and as you can see, I called this number three times thinking that I just had a bad connection. You also need to realize that I have never wasted that much time on a guy before." Alec looks up to see Magnus knitting his eyebrows together while looking at the phone.

Just then, Magnus bursts into laughter, "I am so sorry Alexander, look, I was desperate to get my number to you, I know you needed to leave with your friend, I just didn't think that my horrible handwriting would have been so bad that you would have mistaken a seven for a one. Can we please start over?" Magnus asks with a hopeful smile. He can't believe the misunderstanding. Seeing the hesitant look on Alec's face, he adds, "Look, Alec, if it makes you feel better, I never hand my number out to people. I just had fun talking to you at the bar, and I guess I just didn't want that to be the last conversation we ever had."

Scratching the back of his neck and biting his lower lip, Alec responds, "okay sure, I don't mind starting over with you. It's just that, now that it appears that we're working together, I just don't want things to become awkward."

"I get that, I…" Magnus stops speaking as soon as someone walks up to them, "Hi! You must be the newbie, name's Jordan Kyle." Jordan reached out and Magnus accepted the handshake.

"Magnus Bane, nice to meet you." Jordan is tall, broad-shouldered, muscular but still slim, with hazel eyes, long, dark hair pulled back in a low ponytail, and dark skin. The man is hot, not as hot as Alexander, but hot nonetheless.

"Jordan is one of the firefighters we will be working with. Jordan, Magnus is my new EMT, please don't scare him off," Alec adds with a smirk.

"Right! Well I'll let you guys get back to your conversation, I just wanted to introduce myself before things go to shit today, we'll talk later," with that, Jordan turns to walk away.

Once Jordan is out of sight, Alec faces Magnus again, "So, before we got interrupted, what were you going to say?" Magnus glances back to Alec, looks back to where Jordan left, then back to Alec once again.

"Uh right, I just wanted to let you know that I know how to separate a work relationship with a personal relationship," Magnus says with a wink, then with a serious expression, "Oh and ah...look, I'm not exactly comfortable with other people knowing my preferences at work. I had a very hard time back in London, and I really don't want to relive the shit that I had to deal with there." Alec looks slightly taken aback by that statement.

"What happened to you in London?" Alec hesitantly asked. It was Magnus' turn to hesitate.

"Look, Alec...I'll tell you everything I dealt with, but not here. I don't want to risk being overheard," Magnus states plainly.

Alec nods in understanding. "Well, how about I take you out for a drink after work tonight. It'll be my treat and a sort of welcome to the station kind of thing." Magus agrees with a smile.

Shortly into their conversation, a small Asian girl comes and sits down with Magnus and Alec. Alec brightly smiles at the girl.

"Good morning guys! Hi! I'm Aline. You must be our new partner. I'm your transport driver for the team," the girl, Aline, beams and stretches her hand out to shake.

"Magnus Bane, it's a pleasure to meet you, Aline… " Magnus shakes her hand.

"Oh sorry! Aline Penhallow-Blackthorne. My wife and I decided to hyphenate. She works at BMH with Clary." Magnus looks on in confusion.

"Clary is my roommate and best friend. She's short, has red hair…" Alec explains, leaving her description hanging in the air, hoping Magnus will catch on. Magnus immediately understands what Alec is doing, he's trying to explain that Clary is the girl who he left the bar with on Saturday night, without revealing to Aline that Magnus and Alec are already slightly acquainted with one another. Magnus nods in understanding.

"Jordan's girlfriend, Maia, also works with Clary and Helen," Aline adds.

"So you guys really do know the staff at the hospital then. When I was in London, we didn't really get to know the staff, we wheeled the patients in, gave our report to the nurses or doctors, then left," Magnus states to engage in the conversation. Alec looks towards him with an eyebrow raised. Magnus just shrugs slightly.

"Wow, you two have been talking for what, ten minutes and you already can have silent conversations! That's impressive," Aline adds.

At that moment, they get a call from dispatch stating that there is a smoke alarm going off at a convenience store close by. The trio gets up and heads to the ambulance, ready to deal with their first call for the day.


	4. Chapter 4

**Important AN: Okay, if any of you saw my edited chapter 2, you would see that due to backlash on a different site, I changed Magnus' character back to being canon bisexual. Well, after further debate, I've decided to change it back to Magnus being gay. This is my story, and if people have such a problem with it, they do not have to follow the story, as so many other people have said to me. If I change him back to canon, then that means that I would have to rewrite the 16 chapters that I've already written. And I'm a very busy woman and I have already spent quite a bit of time on this story writing it the way that I want to. So, with that being said, I re-edited chapter 3, and because everyone on this site has been wonderful, I've decided to give you guys another chapter early. And just on fyi, I will be updating this story every Friday for the foreseeable future. Thanks for following my story and CONSTRUCTIVE reviews are always welcome.**

 **~oOo~**

Chapter 3

Alec is pretty surprised with how his day is turning out so far. He woke up this morning completely annoyed that he was pining over a man, but not just any man, a man whom he let his guard down for on Saturday night. Alec had so much fun talking and flirting with Magnus, which was something Alec had never done. He doesn't flirt, he usually gets what he wants for the night and leaves. He's not a relationship kind of guy. Ever since his fallout with his parents and his two previous relationships, Alec is very wary of entering another relationship. The way he sees it, if his own parents are willing to throw away a relationship with their only living son so quickly, any other relationship can crumble just as easily. Alec is still waiting on that shoe to drop with Clary and the Morgensterns. He loves each and every one of them, but he knows that their love and support for him won't last forever. How Magnus managed to worm his way through Alec's walls with one conversation, he'll never know. Then to top it all off, the guy tells him to call him, but gives him a fake number!

It wasn't until Alec saw Magnus at work today, that he realized just how pissed off he was about the entire situation. Of course, looking back on it, it really was a big misunderstanding. What Alec really couldn't believe was that it seemed that Magnus was just as pissed off about him not calling, as he was about getting a fake number. Then to make matters worse, Magnus is now working with Alec. How can they possibly consider any type of romantic relationship when they have to see each other at work everyday? Maybe this can be something they can discuss over drinks tonight.

Once their shift is over, Alec and Magnus head to the locker rooms to change out of their uniforms and into their street clothes. Alec usually doesn't carry a change of clothes with him unless it's his gym clothes, but he does have a set of clothes in his car from when he was supposed to have a guys' night with Jon a few weeks ago. Little did he know at the time, that the guys night would be cancelled due to Holly finding out that she was pregnant. Naturally, Jon wanted to spend the night with his wife and celebrate. Alec chances a glance at Magnus, and he nearly whimpers when he sees him in nothing but his boxer briefs. Alec immediately lowers his head and thinks of anything other than the gorgeous man a few feet away from him. With his back turned, Alec starts to change.

He quickly dons his black ripped skinny jeans, a gray Henley long sleeved shirt, and his old Chucks. It's not Alec's first choice of clothing to go out with this sexy Greek God of a man, but technically this isn't a date. This is just two coworkers going out to get to know one another on a more personal level. The date will come later. Alec stands up from the bench to see that Magnus is dressed and waiting for him. ' _God that man is sex on legs!'_ Alec thinks as he smiles up at Magnus.

"You ready to go?" Alec asks as they make their way out of the locker room.

"Absolutely, blue eyes," is Magnus' response causing Alec to chuckle and shake his head.

"Lightwood! Bane!" Both men turn around at the sound of Chief's voice.

"Yes, sir?" they ask in unison.

Chief shakes his head for a moment. "I hope you two had a good first day, is there anything you need to report?" Chief asks out of curiosity.

"No Chief, Magnus did great on his first day," is Alec's confused response. Chief usually doesn't ask for progress reports on new employees.

Chief gives the men a mischievous smirk, "Alright, you guys have a good night and I'll see you both tomorrow morning." Alec tenses up, but nods anyway.

Once they are outside of the station, Alec guides Magnus over to his car. Magnus lets out a low whistle once they're seated. "Nice car Alexander," is Magnus' only comment.

"Thanks. It was a graduation present. She's my baby, and I plan on driving this car until she dies a slow, painful death," Alec states while stroking the steering wheel fondly.

"You make it sound like this is the only thing you own," Magnus clearly sees Alec tense up at that comment.

Alec clears his throat. "Yeah...well, this car is just important to me, that's all," Alec can tell that Magnus isn't buying his diversion, but the other man doesn't say anything about it.

"So, why don't we head over to 'Kaelie's', that's my favorite bar anyways," Alec suggests with a flirtatious smirk.

"Sounds great." The slight blush that Magnus is sporting doesn't go unnoticed by Alec and he internally swoons.

~oOo~

The men walk into the bar and sit at the farthest table for more privacy. Alec is starting to feel a tinge of nervousness. Now that they're here, it's really starting to feel like a date.

"So, how did you want to start this?" Magnus asks.

"With drinks first," Alec responds with a nervous chuckle.

Just then, the server comes over. She's tall, and slender, with bottle blond hair that has dyed streaks of pink and purple throughout. She has mud brown eyes, wearing a fitted t-shirt with the bar's logo on it, a black skirt that stops at mid thigh, and six inch strappy heels. Alec raises an eyebrow at this, knowing that Kaelie would never approve of that type of footwear for her staff.

"Hello fellas, welcome to Kaelie's, my name is Natalie, what can I get you today," she states while shoving her breasts in Magnus' face. Magnus subtly turns his head away. An unfamiliar jealousy creeps into Alec's chest. Alec furrows his eyebrows at himself. ' _That's a new one'_ he thinks.

"I'll take a beer thanks," Alec states, a little too harshly.

"I'll just take a cosmo, dear," Magnus turns to look at Alec as he says 'dear'.

"Excuse me Natalie, does Kaelie happen to work tonight," Alec asks, a little less hostile this time.

With a confused look, Natalie gestures over to the bar behind which he notices Kaelie manning the bar. He looks back at Natalie and smiles, "Thanks, I'm looking forward to having a little chat with her tonight." With that, the waitress walks over to fill their drink orders.

"Well, well. well. I didn't exactly peg you as the jealous type Alexander," Magnus says with a shit eating grin.

"Honestly, I'm usually not, I have no idea what happened just then. We're not even dating and that... waitress, just pissed me off when she shoved her tits in your face like that," Alec groaned and ran a hand through his hair.

Magnus lets out an amused laugh. "I guess there's a first time for everything and it was kinda hot," with that, Alec groans and puts his hands over his face in embarrassment. Just then, their drinks arrive. To Alec's pleasant surprise, Kaelie is the one to bring them out.

"Alec! How are you doing hottie? It's been what, two days? Is everything okay?" Kaelie asks, she knows that he usually doesn't come in without Clary, Jon, or the guys from the station, and she also knows that he never comes in when he's on one of his four-day stretches at work. Her concern is touching. She also notices Magnus sitting next to him, and her eyes light up.

"Hello there, handsome. Couldn't get enough of our Alec on Saturday night?" Kaelie asks with a huge grin on her face. Alec just groans in response.

"What can I say, he is just too adorable for his own good my dear, but tonight we are just getting to know one another a bit better," Magnus has a flirtatious smirk throughout the entire encounter.

"I'll leave you boys to it then," Kaelie winks and walks away.

Once Kaelie is out of earshot, Alec knows he is screwed. He wasn't expecting Kaelie to drop hints to his past the way she did.

"So Alexander, would you like to tell me what that was all about," Magnus asks.

Alec glances to Magnus and rubs the back of his neck. "Okay, so a little more than five years ago, I was kind of going through a rather hard time in my personal life. I had a fake ID and thought it would be a wise decision to use it. I came here and drank my body weight in vodka, then thought it would be a good idea to drive home. About a block from my apartment, I swerved to avoid hitting a stray cat that ran in front of my car, then crashed into a concrete barrier. Chief was onsite as well as the other emergency responders, and the police. I don't know how I managed it, but I got out of a drunk driving ticket and possible jail time." Alec couldn't help but stare at his beer while he told this story. "Clary was put down as my emergency contact, so when she got the call, she raced over to BMH.

"Luckily it was nothing serious, but Clary chewed me out for about three days, as well as her brother Jon. When I told her where I went, she automatically came here and yelled at Kaelie, saying that she couldn't believe that she would allow underage drinking, Kaelie of course was shocked -my fake ID was very convincing- but Kaelie insisted on seeing me. Clary took her back to our apartment and I made a deal with Kaelie. She wouldn't report my fake ID if I came in every week and helped her clean up the place, help with inventory, and things along those lines. Kaelie has been a good friend ever since," Alec concludes. Of course, Alec hadn't told Magnus everything. He'd left out the part where that was the same day he tried to contact his siblings, and had a horrid conversation with his mother. He looks over at Magnus who has a thoughtful expression.

"You're not an alcoholic or anything, are you?" Magnus asks sarcastically. Alec can't help but to let out a breathy laugh. It seems that Magnus knows how to break tension with just a sarcastic comment.

"Not in the slightest. I was a stupid nineteen year old kid who was just going through a very difficult time at that point in my life," Alec admitted. Magnus nods his head in understanding.

Magnus lifts his glass, exclaiming, "Well, here's to stupidity and life lessons then," and clinks his glass with Alec's beer. Alec couldn't help the laugh that escaped his lips, and returned the toast.

"Let's move on, shall we," Magnus states.

"Absolutely, how about a game of twenty questions to get to know each other. While we were at the station, we mostly spoke about the job itself," Alec suggests.

"Great idea, I'll go first and start off simple. What's your favorite color?" Alec can't help but laugh. He also realises that this is the most he's truly smiled in a very long time.

"My favorite color is black, how about you?" Magnus looks thoughtful for a moment, then his eyes light up.

"Black! Black is not a color Alexander, it's a shade, honestly!" he says with a snort and a shake of his head. "But my favorite color is blue," he says with a wink, causing Alec to blush. "Okay, favorite drink?"

"Don't laugh but it's coffee, Clary and I lived off of that stuff in college, and we both worked in a coffee shop throughout our college career. I actually still frequent that coffee shop at least twice a week, and if you're not into the coffees they brew, they have an amazing assortment of teas. Are you a cat person or a dog person?" Alec inquires.

"I love both, but as far as preference for ownership, I'm more of a cat person. Favorite food?"

"Steak, hands down. I love a good piece of meat." Alec's eyes widen at his statement, he clears his throat. "Your favorite food?" he quickly asks.

Magnus suppresses his laugh. "Alexander, I'm all for a good piece of meat as well, but my favorite food type is actually Italian. I can't pin it down to a specific favorite dish so I'm going to just stick to my favorite type," he sniggers at Alec's scowl. "Okay, hm...now I can't stop thinking about good pieces of meat," Magnus says with a chuckle. "Okay, back to the questions, do you have any siblings?" Alec visibly tenses.

"Not anymore?" Magnus inquires, but Alec repeats his question and thankfully Magnus doesn't push the issue. He only shifts in his seat a little awkwardly before speaking.

"Only child. My parents apparently tried having kids for a while, but for whatever reason, my mom just couldn't get pregnant so they gave up. Imagine their surprise when she found out she was pregnant with me," Magnus laughs at the memory of his mother sharing that story when Magnus was about eight years old, and was requesting a sibling for Christmas that year. "My mom was thirty-six when she finally had me."

"So, what made you want to become an EMT?" Alec asks, surprised that he'd asked Magnus this earlier today.

"Ah well, it certainly wasn't for the money. My parents have basically made it to where I wouldn't have to work a day of my life if I didn't want to do so, but I just really wanted to do something that helped other people. I didn't fancy the idea of becoming a doctor or a lawyer, and my sense of business is horrendous, so when I was still in school, I just looked into civil service jobs. I liked the fact that becoming an EMT would not allow me to become complacent or bored," Magnus looks over to Alec. "What made you want to become a paramedic?" It's a simple question, but Alec's unsure of how he wants to explain without reliving a past that he'd much rather bury deep inside and never speak about again.

"Um well…" Alec rubs the back of his neck, something that's he's done for as long as he can remember when he gets nervous. "When I was fifteen, I was unfortunate enough to witness paramedics try their damnedest to revive someone. I was so fascinated with the way they were working, I just knew that's something I wanted to do myself," Alec hopes and prays to whatever god is out there, that Magnus doesn't ask any more questions about his past, even though he knows that Magnus isn't doing it intentionally. He looks up, and sees Magnus' amazing smile.

"So do you want to tell me about your time in London now? I mean...you don't have to if you don't want to..." Alec trails off. Magnus sighs and shrugs his shoulders.

"I may as well get it out in the open. The way you saw me dressed Saturday night, that's the way I used to dress all the time back in London. I never really cared what people thought of me. I had the support of my family and friends, I didn't need anyone else...or so I thought. The company I worked for, we had forty-eight hour rotations. We ate, slept, and worked together." Magnus lets out a shaky breath, then proceeds. "I chose the one job where I would end up working for nothing but bigots. They would haze me at every turn. I would find my clothes torn apart, my belongings were always vandalized, and then the verbal abuse started. They would call me names that I wouldn't even dare to repeat. I tried going to my boss about everything, he wouldn't listen. He would just brush it off, telling me that I was just imagining things, that no one on his staff would do the things that I would accuse them of doing.

"Then the physical abuse started. Do you know what a blanket party is?" With tears threatening to fall, Alec shakes his head no. "I would be woken up at night to everyone beating me with a bar of soap that they would stuff in socks. Half of them would hold my blanket as tight as they could make it so I wouldn't be able to move while the other half beat me, then they would switch. Even though they didn't physically lay their hands on me, it was still a nightmare. The beatings were so bad that I would have welts all over my torso and a few ribs would break, I finally couldn't take the abuse anymore so I just packed my stuff up and left. I endured that torture for about a year.

"I almost didn't get this job because my former boss told the chief that I was always harassing my coworkers, and that I would file false complaints, but that wasn't the case. He was just trying to cover his own ass as well as trying to keep me from getting a job. Chief happened to leave all of my former employers complaints in the folder he handed me to fill out this morning when he left to get my uniforms. I'm just thankful that he still chose to give me a chance." Magnus looks towards Alec. "And that's the reason why I'm so hesitant to let my coworkers find out about my sexuality. I told my mother about everything that was happening to me. She works for attorneys who deal with hate crimes and whatnot, they tried to find someone in London to take my case to court, but no one would touch my case since the company I worked for was government ran."

At that moment, Alec launches himself at Magnus and brings him into a tight hug, "Magnus I swear to you that won't happen here. I am so sorry you had to go through that. I will, however, respect your decision." Magnus gives Alec a brilliant smile.

"Okay, Alexander, I just have one more question, and then I think we should call it a night since it's already close to midnight," Alec looks up, surprised at how quickly the time went by. "Will you, Alexander Lightwood, like to go out on a proper date with me on Friday night? I know that's going to be our first night off," Magnus looks at Alec with a hopeful expression.

Looking into Magnus' eyes, Alec smiles, "Absolutely!"

 **~oOo~**

 **There it is! I hope I didn't miss anything when I went back to edit to the original content, (last night I did go through a few chapters to change and rewrite things). Let me know what you guys think. Until next Friday, have a great week guys.**


	5. Chapter 5

**So due to the fact that I'm stuck at work till 4am, here's the next chapter. I figured that since it's already after 1am where I'm at, I'll post now instead of making you guys wait until I wake up at some point in the afternoon. Hope you guys enjoy it! Have a great weekend.**

 **~oOo~**

Chapter 4

The work week has come to an end, much to Alec's delight. It's Thursday night, and Alec only has about an hour left in his shift, then it's four days of relaxation. There's also the date with Magnus tomorrow night. Alec and Magnus have been texting or talking on the phone nonstop since Monday. Alec refuses to believe that he's already smitten with the man. He keeps telling himself that he needs to be careful, and not let his emotions cloud his rational thought, he knows that no one sticks around forever so he needs to keep Magnus at arm's length. At least tonight, Alec has Jon and Clary to keep his mind off of things. Tonight the trio are going to the gym for a much needed training session. About four years ago, Clary started going to the gym to spar with Alec and Jon. Before that, Alec and Jon would go once a week to let go of some stress from their lives - or whenever Jon was home from school - but due to certain events, Clary started to join in their weekly sparring matches.

"So, Alec, what are your plans for the break?" Aline asks, as she does every week.

"Tonight is sparring with Jon and Clary, tomorrow I have a date, Saturday will probably consist of laundry and house cleaning, then of course, our normal Sunday dinners at the Morgensterns' house," Alec explains.

"Wait a minute! Don't tell me that the forever bachelor, Alec Lightwood, is going on a date! Does Clary know? What was her reaction? When did this happen?" Aline exclaims, spouting off questions at rapid fire.

Alec notices out of the corner of his eye, that Magnus, who is having a conversation with Jordan, visibly tenses.

"Slow down Aline, and yes, I'm going on a date with an amazing guy that I met last weekend when Clary and I were out celebrating her graduation. We hit it off at the bar, and have been texting and calling every day since. The only thing I know so far is that he's picking me up tomorrow evening, and taking me to dinner. He refuses to tell me where he's taking me, but knowing him, it's probably going to be the best date of my life!" Alec exclaims. He can see a broad smile forming on Magnus' face over Alec's reaction and enthusiasm, as well as probably keeping his secret. "As far as telling Clary, I haven't seen her all week because our schedules are off for the next three months. I was going to tell her and Jon about it tonight, though," Alec finishes and Aline squeals so loud, the entire firehouse stops to stare.

"Oh, my god! Alec this is amazing! What's his name? What does he look like? Tell me! Tell me!" Alec laughs at her childish antics. Aline has always reminded him of his sister Isabelle.

"Okay first, I'm not telling you his name. I really like this guy, and I don't want to jinx anything," Alec remarks, knowing that Magnus is adamant about keeping his sexuality away from his coworkers for the time being, "and as far as description, he's taller than myself - which is saying something - he has the most beautiful skin tone I've ever seen, a rich caramel color, amazing eyes, and he just looks like a real life Adonis." Alec blushes, slightly embarrassed that he's literally describing the man sitting on the other side of the room. Aline is sitting next to him, sporting the biggest smile that he's ever seen on her.

"Wow, he sounds too good to be true! If I were into men, I'd totally fight you for him," she says while she continues to gush about Alec's date. Alec also notices that Magnus is trying not to laugh. Alec catches Magnus' eye at that moment, and he gives a shy smile.

"Do you and Helen have any plans on your break?" Alec enquires, feeling a little rude by monopolizing the conversation.

"No, she's working the same schedule as Clary, right now, so we have been seeing each other in passing. We might go out to dinner at some point over the weekend though. I know she's off on Sunday, I'll try to plan something then, as long as she isn't too tired. She did tell me that she wanted to discuss something with me, though." Aline pauses to look around for a moment. She catches Magnus looking in their direction and nods to him. She turns to face Alec again and lowers her voice, "I'm hoping we can discuss the whole having kids thing again. We both agreed that we wanted to wait a few years, but it's been a year and a half since we married, I'm wondering if she's ready now. We both have stable jobs, we just bought a house, and we're in a really good place in our lives," Aline says, with a hopeful glint in her eye.

"I hope this talk works in your favor then," Alec says, "but if you need someone to talk to, you know where to find me." Aline gives him a warm smile.

At that point, Sebastian comes in, gives his cousin a hug, and a kiss on the head, then turns to face Alec. Standing up, Alec gives him a bro hug, then proceeds to give Sebastian his relief report.

"The ambulance has been washed, sterilized, stocked, and dispatch has our ending mileage recorded. All you need to do is your inspection, call dispatch to make them aware of the shift change, and what your starting mileage is going to be." Sebastian nods, and turns to start his preparations for his shift.

When the shift ends, Alec and the other guys on the shift head to the locker rooms to change out of their uniforms. Alec changes into a pair of basketball shorts and a black fitted tank top. As he grabs his hoodie out of his locker, he catches Magnus staring at him out of the corner of his eye. Alec glances over to Magnus, winks, and walks out to his car.

~oOo~

Alec pulls into the gym's parking lot, and the first thing he sees when he glances down at his phone is a new text message from Magnus.

 _From Magnus:_

 _It seems like you've been testing my restraint quite a bit today Alexander…_

 _To Magnus:_

 _I have no idea what you're talking about ;-P_

Alec decides to hang out in his car for a little while, seeing as neither Jon nor Clary have arrived yet. He also wants to wait and see if Magnus texts back right away.

 _From Magnus:_

 _Is that so? Hmm let me think...that gorgeous blush when you called me "a real life Adonis"...or maybe that tight ass tank top you changed into that left absolutely nothing to the imagination…_

 _To Magnus:_

 _Okay first of all, it's kind of hard to talk about you like you aren't even there. I slipped up when I mentioned that I had a date tomorrow night. Luckily for me, Aline knows how vague I can be. Second, it's not my fault that I described you perfectly, and lastly, this is just what I wear when I go work out. These clothes are easy to spar in, what more can I say ;-)_

Even as Alec hit send, he could feel himself blushing. He's usually not one to flirt, but with Magnus, he just can't seem to stop.

 _From Magnus:_

 _And now I'm picturing you all hot, sweaty, and panting... ;-)_

 _Go and work out with your friends and have fun. See you tomorrow darling xxx_

At this point, Alec is wondering if it was possible to pass out from blushing so much. Alec puts his phone in his pocket and heads over to Jon, who just pulled into the spot next to his car.

"Hey man! You ready to relieve some stress? Clary texted me and said that she's stuck at the hospital for a while longer, she told me to let you know that she'll see you at home, and asks to order some pizza for dinner," Jon says. Alec chuckles, this means that Clary had a rough day.

"Sounds good to me. In all honesty, today is my day to cook and I really don't feel like cooking." Jon just shakes his head.

"Man, I swear, you and my sister have such a domesticated friendship, if I didn't know either one of you, I'd assume the two of you were married." That earns a slight shudder from Alec, which doesn't go unnoticed by Jon, causing him to laugh even harder.

"Alright, alright, let's get inside so I can kick your ass." With a playful glare, Alec heads into the gym.

~oOo~

After two hours of sparring, Alec and Jon head into the sauna to relax their overexerted muscles. This is the perfect time for Alec to bring up his concerns about Magnus. One good thing about Jon is that he is as blunt as Alec is. Alec knows that he can get advice from the young doctor.

"Okay, so I'm just going to come right out and say it...I have a date tomorrow night." Alec says, once they've sat for a few minutes. Jon jerks his head up, surprised by Alec's statement. Jon knows that Alec doesn't usually date.

"Well, this is a new development. I know you don't date anymore after the blow up you had with Scott. What made you change your mind to start dating again?" Jon asks.

Alec feels like he needs to choose his words carefully here. "So, you know that Clary and I went to the bar Saturday night?" Jon nods. "I met someone while I was there. The first thing he did was hit on me, I assumed that he was going to be my next hook up, but we ended up staying at the bar talking. Clary came up to the bar letting me know that the guy she met was a grade A ass, and she was ready to leave. I was only briefly able to say goodbye to the guy before she dragged me away. When we got home, I changed and checked all of the pockets in my pants before putting them in the dirty clothes hamper, when I noticed a business card in my back pocket. It was a card for the bar, but on the back it had the guys name as well as his phone number scrawled in. You know how moody I was at dinner Sunday night?" Alec asks.

"Yeah, I meant to ask you about that, but with Holly having morning sickness, I spent most of my time with her in the bathroom than anywhere else. It actually slipped my mind later on that night." Jon looks guilty for his confession.

"It's alright. I knew you had Holly to worry about. I wasn't even going to bring it up to you before now. But yeah, I was pissed because I felt a connection with this guy, and I tried calling him a few times before dinner, but the number he gave me was fake...or so I thought," Alec finishes. Jon gives Alec a confused look.

"What do you mean by 'or so you thought'?"

"That's exactly what I mean. Monday morning when I got to work, there was Magnus in all his glory talking to Chief! He's my new partner at work!" Alec exclaims. He still doesn't know if dating his coworker is a good idea, but he just couldn't resist. "As soon as I saw him, I wanted to punch him in his face! Here I was, having an amazing time with a guy, then I find his number in my back pocket, I call said guy, just to be let down! I don't do shit like this!" Alec takes a deep breath, then continues more calmly.. "I confronted him as soon as we were out of earshot of other people, only to find out that Magnus' handwriting is so horrendous that I read the number wrong. After work on Monday, we went back to the bar to get to know each other a little better, then he asked me out for tomorrow night. We've also talked or texted each other every day this week. I'm slightly freaking out here!" Alec finishes, with only a little hysteria in his voice.

After a moment of processing the newfound information, Jon looks up.

"Alright, so what do your coworkers think of you dating the new guy?" Jon asks.

"Oh, and that's another thing, Magnus apparently had a horrible experience where he used to work back in London, so he wants to keep his sexualilty quiet at work." Alec explains. "Needless to say, we're keeping this relationship a secret, at least with our coworkers."

"I thought you didn't do relationships with closet cases? Isn't that one of the reasons you and Adam didn't work out?" Jon asks.

"Ah, yes, that is very true. However with Magnus, all of his friends and family know about him, he just wants to keep his private life away from his professional life. But you're right, as soon as he said that he didn't want people at work to know, I was planning on just calling whatever it is that we were entering off. Especially because I feel that it could be very dangerous to have a relationship with a coworker to begin with." Alec pauses, "At least that was the plan until he told me about his last job. I feel like I can work with that. I also think that he'll come around at some point. He see's the way everyone acts around Aline and myself, they wouldn't treat him any different."

"Okay. Let me get this straight. You met this Magnus guy at a bar last weekend, realize that he's your new partner at work, find out that he's partially in the closet, but decide to date him anyway." Jon looks at Alec. "What is it that you aren't telling me? You obviously seem to have things worked out so far, but I feel like I'm missing something here," Jon states.

"The problem is that I'm terrified. I feel like Magnus has the potential to ruin me. There are also things that I refuse to talk about which have also put strains on my two previous relationships. I will not talk about my family no matter how close I get to someone. Your family are the only ones who know the extent of damage my parents caused me mentally and emotionally." Alec sighs once he's finished explaining.

"But, would it be bad to let someone else in?" Jon questions.

"Honestly, yes. I seem to find guys whose families accepted them and have - if not a great relationship - at least a decent relationship with their parents. They wouldn't understand that my own family turned their backs on me," Alec explains and Jon sighs.

"Listen to me Alec. I want you to know that I love you, you're like a brother to me; in every way that actually matters, you are my brother. My parents are your parents, and my sister is your sister. We only want what's best for you. I'm not trying to sound like a dick, but sometimes you just need to let people in. You're never going to truly be happy until you do. I'm not saying that you need to spill all of your secrets to this guy on the first date, but if you honestly feel like you can see a future with him, you will need to learn to let him in." Alec nods in understanding, though he has already opened up to Magnus more than he has with any of his previous relationships, he's still not sure if he can let the man in completely when the time comes. Alec is also wondering why in the actual fuck he's already having this internal dilemma. They haven't even been out on their first date yet, and he's already contemplating how he will handle a future with the man.

"Now, that we've had that heart to heart, let's get the hell out of here. You have to get home and order dinner, and I have to get home and cuddle with my wifey," Jon says with a dopey smile. Alec agrees and the two men change and leave the gym.

~oOo~

Once Alec gets home, he realises how tired he is. He quickly showers, then orders the pizza. Just as he hangs up the phone from ordering it, Clary walks in looking just as exhausted as he feels. She notices Alec standing there, nods, then walks in the bathroom for her own shower. Alec takes that as his cue to get a pot of coffee started. While Clary is in the shower, the delivery guy shows up. Alec pays, puts the box on the kitchen counter, grabs a couple of plates and places a couple of pieces each on the plates. Then he gets their coffee, and loads Netflix so the duo can continue their 'Worst Cooks in America' marathon. As soon as Alec has finished, Clary walks into the living room wearing her rubber duck printed pajamas, she sits down and cuddles next to Alec while he presses the play button. They watch a few episodes in silence while they eat their dinner, then Clary starts discussing her day. It consisted of the usual chest pain patients that turned out to be indigestion, a few spring time colds, and one trauma. She doesn't go into detail on the cases she's had today, but Alec can tell that she has something on her mind.

"Okay, Nugget, tell me what's wrong." Clary groans.

"Alec, I love my job. You know that I love my job, but why are these doctors handing over pointless cases to me? I feel like they don't trust me enough with some of the more severe patients that are coming in to the ER. It's driving me crazy!" Clary exclaims. Alec thinks it through before he speaks.

"I think the only reason you're being given the more simple cases is for the simple fact that you just finished your classes. I realize you've been in the field for a while now, but you're basically at the same level of a doctor. Do you think that first year residents weren't treated the same way?" Clary shakes her head no in response. "Okay, so maybe they weren't. You're working tomorrow, so why don't you talk to Catarina about it? She may give you a little insight as to why the other docs are only handing off easy patients." Catarina is Chief Attending in the Emergency Department.

"Ugh! I guess I can do that, I just don't want to be known as 'that girl who cries about getting the grunt work' so to speak." Clary sighs exasperatedly.

"If you don't want to say anything, then my suggestion is to just wait it out. Even when I first started out as a paramedic, Chief made me ride along with supervision for almost all of my first year at the station. It'll pass, Nugs." Clary giggles and swats at Alec for the abbreviated nickname. They settle in more comfortably, and Alec tells her all about his week, Magnus, his date with said man tomorrow night, and she of course flips out and runs to his room to find an outfit for him to wear.


	6. Chapter 6

**They're finally going on that date, hope you guys enjoy this chapter! Hope you guys have had a great week and have a good weekend! Don't forget to leave a review :-)**

 **For my guest reviewer asking if there will be Clace, there will be background Clace later on, but this is a Malec fic.**

Chapter 5

Alec doesn't wake up until half past noon on Friday. He ends up going to Java Jones for coffee and a breakfast sandwich, reads one of his sci-fi novels for a couple hours, then goes on a run. Finally, it's time for him to start getting ready for his date with Magnus. Alec was hoping that by keeping himself active throughout the day, his typical nervous energy would have dissipated. Unfortunately for him, it has not. After his shower, he stands in front of his closet staring at the outfit Clary helped him pick out. It's a pair of black skinny jeans, which are brand new and does miracles for his ass, a deep midnight blue button-down shirt that has black pin striping on it and is a little too tight around his shoulders, a solid black silk skinny tie, and his black Doc Marten's to complete the outfit. As soon as he finishes getting ready for the date, the buzzer goes off to indicate Magnus' arrival.

Alec heads downstairs to meet Magnus at the entrance of his apartment, and is blown away by the sight of the man. Magnus's black skinny jeans hug his long legs just right, his maroon button-down shirt is tucked in to accentuate his slim waist, and a black vest and blazer complete the look. His hair was spiked up with the tips dyed red, and his makeup is very subtle with just eyeliner, and smokey eye shadow. Alec just stands in front of Magnus with a look of awe. He can't believe that this beautiful man is interested in him.

"Alexander, darling, you may want to close your mouth. You're catching flies," Magnus states with a giggle. Alec shakes his head to clear his thoughts.

"You look beautiful, Magnus," Alec compliments a bit breathily.

"Thank you, darling. You're looking quite dashing yourself," Magnus says, as he's blatantly checking Alec out.

"Are you ready to go?" Alec questions.

Magnus leads him over to his car. Magnus drives a Tesla Model S. It's an Electric Blue color, the rims are gunmetal, the interior is done up in black and gray Italian leather. Alec's eyes bulge out, and his mouth is completely open; he is completely in awe of this car.

"Magnus! This car is over two hundred thousand dollars...just...how?" Alec stutters, as he sits in the passenger seat. He's lost the capacity to complete a coherent sentence. At this point, he notices that Magnus looks nervous, and grabs his hand.

"Uh, yeah...my dad bought it for me as a welcome home present when I first moved back. This is the reason why I don't drive my car to work. It looks completely out of place doesn't it?" Magnus asks, as he pulls into traffic.

"I can understand that. It's a beautiful car. Why in the hell did you seem so impressed with my car when you had this parked in your parking garage? My car looks like a Pinto compared to this baby?" Alec exclaims, causing Magnus to laugh.

"Darling, your car is sexy and it suits you perfectly. That's why I was so impressed with it. I do love a sexy car, no matter the price point," Magnus finishes.

"Whatever." Alec mutters while rolling his eyes and blushes.

The two men drive in comfortable silence while the music is turned down low for background noise. Soon enough, Magnus pulls into a beautiful restaurant that's located on the edge of the East River, with an amazing view of the Brooklyn Bridge. Once they park, Magnus gets out and runs to open the door for Alec. Alec recognizes the restaurant immediately. It's a five star Steak and Seafood restaurant that also holds a Michelin Star title. The waiting list to get in is six months. Alec really needs to ask Magnus how he managed a feat such as this. They walk in hand in hand, and approach the reception desk. The hostess is looking at her phone, and not paying attention to the two men standing in front of her. Magnus clears his throat, causing her to look up with a bored expression.

"Excuse me, we're here under the reservation for Bane, party of two," Magnus states plainly. The girl jumps at the name, and immediately takes them to their table.

"Oh yes! I'm so sorry, Mister Bane! Right this way, sir." the hostess rapidly escorts the men to their table, which sits in front of a large bay window facing the East River. Alec and Magnus take their seats.

"Your server will be right with you. I'll make sure he comes right away." With that, she runs off through a set of double doors.

"Wow, you get treated like a king here, even if the hostess is a little lacking," Alec says, with a chuckle. Alec notices Magnus' cheeks turning faintly pink, and gives a bashful smile. At that moment, the server approaches them.

"Welcome, Mister Bane. The Chef has been made aware of your arrival and is working on your starter now. May I interest you in a bottle of our Cabernet Sauvignon?" the server asks.

"That would be lovely. Thank you, Thomas," Magnus replies, and points to the wine glasses set at the table. With that, Thomas fills the glasses, places the bottle in a Sterling silver ice bucket, and retreats.

"Okay, seriously! You're on a first-name basis with the staff? What's that about?" Alec asks, with a mischievous glint in his eye, causing Magnus to laugh.

"My father owns the restaurant. I told him that I was planning on taking you out tonight, and he insisted that I bring you here." Magnus looks at Alec as if trying to gauge his reaction. "I hope that's okay...?" he finishes with a hint of insecurity in his tone. Alec beams at him.

"It's more than alright. It's perfect. I've heard amazing things about this place. I know the waiting list is at least six months, and I know that the owner - well your father - has a restaurant similar to this one in Manhattan," Alec says excitedly, then glances out the window. "God, this view is amazing!" he exclaims. Magnus is sporting a face splitting grin from Alec's enthusiasm. "So tell me about yourself," Alec continued. "I know the basics just from work and our texts, but I want to get to know you better." This causes Magnus to laugh.

"What would you like to know?"

Alec looks thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Whatever you want to tell me. Anything at all really."

"Okay. Well, you know that I lived in London for most of my life, and that I went to boarding school. I would come home quite frequently, though I still managed to pick up a slight accent. I'm half Indonesian and half Dutch. My mother was the first generation American-born Indonesian in our family. Her parents moved here when my aunt was a small child and before my mother came along. My father was born in the Netherlands. When my father came to New York to start his first restaurant, he met my mother in a coffee shop. The two of them fell in love at first sight, and now here we are.

"My mother is a paralegal - which I think I remember telling you that she works for a law firm - who deals with mostly hate crimes, same sex adoption… same sex rights… honestly they deal with anything that pertains to the LGBTQ+ community." Magnus pauses for a moment, thinking of what else he wants to talk about. At that point, their appetizer shows up. It's fresh clams with a mixture of pancetta, breadcrumbs, herbs, and Parmesan cheese.

"Enjoy your starter, Mister Bane. Your meals will be out shortly," Thomas says, and walked back towards the kitchen. He was going to ask why they were never brought menus, but considering the fact that Magnus' father owns the restaurant, and it was already known they were coming, he figures that Magnus' father planned the menu in advance for them. It was a very nice gesture, and no one's ever gone all out like this for him on a first date before. It warms Alec's heart that Magnus would go through this much trouble for him.

"Thank you so much, Thomas." Magnus turns his attention to Alec. "Dig in, darling. I hope you enjoy it, this is one of my favorite starter dishes." Magnus then grabs a stuffed clam, digs the contents out with his fork, and feeds it to Alec. As Alec is chewing, his eyes gradually grow wider.

"Oh my god, Magnus, this is amazing!" Alec exclaims. He truly has never tasted anything this exquisite in his life. After taking a sip of wine, Alec continues, "So you said that your mom works for attorneys, which group does she work for if you don't mind me asking?"

"She works for Blackthorne, Penhollow, and Associates. From what she tells me, the partners in the firm have daughters who ended up married about a year or two ago," Magnus states. Alec is giving Magnus a knowing look, shakes his head, then starts laughing.

"Magnus, you do realize that Aline Penhollow-Blackthorne is who you're talking about right? She's one of the daughters of your mom's law partners. How did you not put that together when she introduced herself to you?" Alec asks, slightly amused.

"Well, damn. I guess I was so worried about our conversation that I completely missed the connection." Magnus visibly pales at this revelation, "Wait a minute, my mom told me that she spoke to the daughters. She also told me that I should be expecting a call to meet, and go out with them one night since I really haven't met anyone in the city as of yet. Do you think Aline will out me once she finds out who I am, if she hasn't already done so to begin with?" Magnus asks. Alec gives Magnus a sardonic look.

"Magnus, she probably already knows. Aline isn't the type of person who will just out someone. You're being paranoid. My advice to you is to wait it out. If she says anything to you, then feel free to ask her not to say anything, and if she says nothing at all, just let the cards fall where they may." Alec shrugs, then continues with a bright smile, "Now, tell me more about yourself. I want to know everything there is to know about you." Magnus laughs, then grabs another clam before continuing.

"You know Alexander, this is really starting to sound like an interview, rather than a date," Magnus teases. "Let's see."

Alec can see Magnus thinking it over for a moment.

"I can speak four languages, not including English. I speak fluent Dutch, and Indonesian, along with French, and Spanish," Magnus concludes with a smirk.

Alec can't deny that he impressed, he also wonders what it would be like to listen to Magnus speak to him in any of those languages while making love. He quickly brushes that thought away, and becomes more and more uncomfortable sitting in the chair.

Thomas arrives to deliver their main course. He sets down a filet mignon stuffed with mushrooms, and onions with a drizzle of bearnaise sauce on top, a skewer of grilled shrimp, and a side of sauteed zucchini and cherry tomatoes in front of Alec, and for Magnus, he sets down a honey-ginger glazed salmon on top of a side of rice pilaf, with a side of asparagus. They both eat off of each other's plates while chatting comfortably the entire time. Alec is really enjoying himself while getting to know Magnus better. For dessert they share an amaretto mousse cheesecake, and feed it to each other. The date has become incredibly cliché, but Alec loves it. This is by far the best date he's ever been on.

They drive back to Alec's apartment in comfortable silence, Alec still not believing how wonderful this date has been. He's not ready for the night to end.

"There's a park just around the corner from my place, I usually go through it on my morning runs. Would you like to walk around for a little while, or do you need to get home?" Alec questions.

"I can walk with you. I'm really not ready for our date to end." Magnus says as he pulls up in front of Alec's apartment building. The two get out of the car, Alec takes Magnus' hand, and he leads them to the park.

"Please tell your father that the meal was amazing. I'm definitely going to tell everyone I know about his restaurant. Let him know that any steak which hasn't been prepared by him is officially a bad steak," Alec says with a chuckle which causes Magnus to laugh in response.

"I'm sure my father will be happy to hear that. He loves when people enjoy his food. He says that food is the one thing that can bring people closer together. He teaches cooking courses, as well." Magnus laughs then continues, "Every time I came home to visit, my dad and I would be in the kitchen together. He always told me that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. He made sure that I knew how to prepare meals so I could impress my dates, it was always something we did together to bond." Magnus finishes with a glint in his eyes.

Alec can't help smiling over Magnus' enthusiasm while telling the story. It also gives him a slight pang of jealousy because he knows that he'll never have that type of relationship with his own father. He quickly pushes those thoughts aside because he doesn't want to think about the people who abandoned him, and also because he doesn't want to ruin his date with negative thoughts. He looks up at Magnus and smiles.

"Well, maybe you could cook for me sometime." Alec's eyes widen at the comment he just made. He tries to think of ways to backpedal out of his self-perceived faux pas. Just because Alec had an amazing time on their date, doesn't mean that Magnus feels the same way. Magnus notices Alec's expression immediately and responds.

"Maybe I will," he replies, with a wink.

They head back to the apartment building, and stand in front of Magnus' car. Alec looks up to Magnus, and feels a blush coming on.

"I had a great time tonight, did you want to come up for a while?" Alec asks.

Magnus sighs.

"I _really_ want to, but I can't. Alexander, this has been the best date of my life. I really like you, but I think that if I go up there with you, things will move way too fast. You're so different than anyone I've ever met, and I want to do this right for once. I want to date you properly before anything more happens. But, if it's alright with you, may I please kiss you? I've been wanting to do that all week." A small smile to appears on Alec's face at those words.

Alec blushes, nodding. His lips part as Magnus leans forward to press their lips together. The kiss starts off slowly, but escalates quickly. Both men moan, and deepen the kiss with tongues exploring. There are no fireworks exploding like people describe in novels or movies, but this kiss feels like a burning sensation starting deep within. Alec can only describe it to be the best kiss he's ever had. It seems like tonight there have been a lot of 'bests' for Alec. Eventually they break the kiss to replenish the oxygen they have been deprived of for the last few minutes, resting forehead to forehead.

"Goodnight, Alexander. I'll call you tomorrow," Magnus whispers, giving Alec a chaste kiss before moving away.

"Goodnight, Magnus. Get home safely." With that, Magnus gets in his car and drives away.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys. This chapter is up just a little early. I had a VERY rough day at work today and would much prefer to sleep in until I have to go to work tomorrow night. So instead of sending you guys a chapter halfway through the day tomorrow, I'm posting it tonight before I go to sleep. It's technically Friday where I live so at least there's that. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and have a great weekend!**

 **Side note: Ibu means mother in Indonesian.**

Chapter 6

Magnus wakes up the next morning still feeling giddy from his date with Alexander. As Magnus is lying in bed, debating on whether or not he's ready to get up, he continues to replay the date in his mind. Magnus realizes that he monopolized the entire conversation last night, and barely learned anything new about Alec. Magnus makes a mental note to change that as soon as possible. He's already thinking of second date ideas when his phone vibrates on his nightstand. Picking it up, he sees a text from Ragnor.

 _My Little Cabbage: Hello old friend. Would you like to meet for coffee this morning? I still feel bad for standing you up last weekend._

 _Magnus: Sure! There's this coffee shop that was recommended by a friend at work, Java Jones? Do you know where that is?_

 _My Little Cabbage: That's the best coffee shop in town, of course I know where it is!_

Magnus lets out a chuckle after reading that message. ' _Maybe I'll run into Alexander today…'_ Magnus thinks to himself. Magnus looks at the time and realizes that he should start getting ready for the day. With one last text to Ragnor to finalize a specific time to meet, he gets up and starts his morning routine.

Wanting to look nice, but without putting too much effort into his look, Magnus decides on a pair of dark blue skinny jeans, and a cream color Henley. He quickly spikes his hair up, and adds some eyeliner, then he's out the door, all while entering in the address of Java Jones into his GPS.

~oOo~

Magnus walks into Java Jones, orders his tea, then finds the nearest table and waits for Ragnor to show up. He's looking forward to catching up with his friend. While Magnus is scrolling through his social media on his phone, he hears a very familiar voice up at the counter. As Magnus looks up, he sees Alec speaking to one of the baristas. Taking a better look, it appears that Alec has been out on a run. He's wearing black basketball shorts, a black tank top, and black and gray running shoes. Magnus takes a mental note to really update Alec's wardrobe, and add a bit of color in Alec's life. _Alec wasn't joking when he said that black is his favorite color_ , Magnus thinks.

Magnus watches as Alec picks up two cups of coffee, turns, and starts heading out of the door. Before Alec could make it that far, Magnus decides to speak up.

"Not even going to say hi, darling?" Magnus' question is laced with amusement. Alec stops, turns, then his eyes go comically wide when he realizes that Magnus is the person speaking to him.

"Magnus, hey! What are you doing here?" Alec asks.

"Well I remembered you mentioning this place to me the first time we went out. Then my best friend sent me a text this morning asking if I wanted to get together for coffee, so I suggested here." Magnus pauses. "Although, this is the same best friend who stood me up at the bar the night we met, so his track record for punctuality isn't the greatest." Magnus concludes, causing a chuckle to escape Alec. "Tell me Alexander, besides the amazing coffee, what brings you here?" Alec blushes, as usual.

"I was out on my morning run and decided to stop. Then I realized that Clary's shift was almost over so I grabbed a cup for her as well." Alec says, gesturing to the cup in his left hand.

"That's nice that you think of her when you get your own coffee."

Alec chuckles. "Oh, this isn't me thinking of her. This is me thinking that I want to live to see tomorrow. If Clary sees that I came here and didn't get her a coffee as well, she would castrate me!" Magnus can't help but laugh at Alec's dramatics. "Well I should head out before our coffee gets cold. I'm happy that I ran into you today. I wasn't expecting to see you until work on Tuesday," Alec says shyly. Magnus can't help smiling as Alec leans in, then places a kiss on Magnus' cheek. "Bye," with that, Alec walks out as Ragnor walks in.

"What's got you smiling like an idiot?" Ragnor questions as he joins Magnus at the table.

"That guy that you just passed on your way in here, he, my friend, is Alexander Lightwood," Magnus responds, still sporting a dopey smile. Ragnor glances back at the door before turning towards his friend again.

"Well I must say, he certainly is your type. Did he spend the night with you last night or something? Usually you send them off once you've had your way with them." Magnus glares daggers at his friend at that accusation. He would never send Alexander away, in fact, it would be quite the opposite. He has a feeling that - even at this early stage in their relationship - Alec is different than anyone he's ever dated.

"He's different, my little cabbage. I didn't sleep with him, in fact, I didn't even know that he was going to be here. It was completely coincidental that we ran into each other this morning," Magnus points out. "I was planning on calling him when I get back from my parents' house tonight, to set up another date with him."

Ragnor, with wide eyes, and an incredulous look. Magnus knows that he's never been one to settle down and just date one person, but he's also getting older, and he is ready to be in a committed relationship. "All I'm saying is that I feel incredibly lucky to have met Alexander. He's shy and slightly closed off, but I see a lot of good in him and I want to actually take this relationship further than a good lay. I want to take this slow and get to know him, I also want to have a healthy relationship for once. You know as well as I do, that my prior relationships have been toxic," Magnus finishes, thinking of Imasu and Woolsey.

Ragnor nods and smiles. "I'm impressed that someone's managed to enamor you so quickly there, Mags. You've been home for what, three weeks... a month?"

"I've been back for five weeks, but yes, the night I was supposed to meet you at the bar, that's when I met Alec the first time. We talked and flirted all night, then I gave him my number. On Monday, I met him again at work. He's a paramedic on my team. He flipped out on me about giving him the wrong number - which I totally didn't do - he just couldn't read my handwriting, but we cleared that up; we went out after work and got to know each other a bit, then last night was our first date. I've never put that much time and energy into one person before. It's a bit refreshing."

"Do you think it's a good idea to be dating your coworker? I don't want to see you get hurt, dear friend," Ragnor states worriedly. Magnus smiles, appreciating his friend's concern.

"We discussed that. He knows about what happened in London and he's not going to out me. He told me that he'll keep my sexuality to himself. He also doesn't think anyone will have a problem due to the fact that he and another of our coworkers are out," Magnus says with a fond smile. He really is smitten already by the blue eyed angel. Magnus and Ragnor sit at the coffee shop for another hour talking about anything and everything.

~oOo~

Magnus is looking forward to spending time with both of his parents. They've been so busy within the last few weeks that it's been difficult to get together with them both at the same time. Magnus is grateful that his father was able to take a Saturday night off in order to spend time with him. He walks into his parents penthouse at exactly six o'clock Saturday evening. As soon as he opens the door, he's assaulted with the smell of garlic and Italian spices. Knowing that the lasagna is in the oven, Magnus' salivary glands kick in, and his stomach releases an embarrassing growl.

"Well, someone certainly is hungry tonight," Magnus' mother says with a chuckle, "I guess you really did come hungry just like you promised." Magnus turns to face his mother who is looking at him with a loving smile. He immediately pulls her into a hug, lifting her off the ground, and giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Ibu, I have missed you so much! You're working way too much for my taste," Magnus says fondly while his mother laughs.

"Magnus, my dear, I love what I do, just as you love what you do. Now tell me, how is this new job treating you? Better than being in London I hope?" his mother asks.

"So far so good, mom. Everyone there is amazing. They all have welcomed me with open arms. I did just recently find out that one of the daughters of one of the associates that you work for, also works with me. Aline is on my team. She hasn't mentioned anything about going out with her and her wife as of yet, but they seem to have conflicting schedules at the moment. She also hasn't mentioned my sexuality to anyone as far as I know. I'm not looking forward to that conversation anytime soon."

"Mags, you really shouldn't worry about that here. Things are different here than they are in England. I just wish you could learn to trust people again," Mrs. Bane finishes. Magnus nods solemnly and pours the wine for their dinner. As he finishes, his father walks into the dining room with the lasagna dish.

"There's my son! How did your date go last night?" Magnus' father asks, causing a blush to rise in Magnus' cheeks.

"Papa!" Magnus greets his father, "It was the best date I've ever been on! I just wish that I hadn't monopolized the entire night. Alexander just kept asking question after question so I didn't even realize that I was doing most of the talking."

"Well from what I saw, it didn't seem like he minded that much. Every time I went to spy on the two of you, he was smiling and looking at you like you hung the moon." Mr. Bane states, "That's what I saw. It seemed like he was enjoying himself just as much as you were."

"Oh you were spying on me now were you? I almost feel offended." Magnus joked, causing both of his parents to laugh. He truly loves the relationship he has with his parents. "Oh, he also wanted me to thank you for the meal. He says that you may have ruined all other steak for him now." This statement caused his father to laugh even harder.

"Tell him that I appreciate the compliment. He seems like a very smart young man. Anyone who approves of my steaks, and is as attentive as he seemed to be, is a keeper in my book." Magnus can't help the grin that spreads at that statement.

"I was planning on giving him a call when I get home to set up another date. I would like to see him again before work on Tuesday." Magnus manages to say before stuffing his face full of lasagna.

"Alexander works with you?" his mother questions.

"Yes, it's a funny story actually." Magnus continues to give his parents the story of how the two met, and everything else that has transpired up to this point. By the end of the story, Magnus' mother looks worried, and Magnus' father is laughing hysterically.

"I know that look mom, don't worry. We've already discussed everything, and we're both willing to give this relationship a shot."

Mrs. Bane nods and smiles."Well we would love to meet him dear. I can see that you're very enamored by him already." His mom says. With a shake of Magnus' head, he smiles fondly at his mother.

"I'll introduce him to you both after we've been dating a while. I really don't want to scare him off with the whole, 'hey, I know we've only been on one date, but my parents really want to meet you' bit. That would have him running for the hills fast," Magnus says.

The rest of their evening consists of light conversation. Magnus listens to his father talk about some of the new staff he's hired at his newest restaurant in Manhattan, as well as some items he's considering adding to his menu. His mom speaks about a few cases that she's helping out with at the law firm, as well as a few charity events she's starting to plan and organize. Overall, Magnus is enjoying his night with his family all while in the back of his mind, the thought of blue eyes and a shy smile continues to taunt him.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey guys! Yes, this is an early update. I didn't want to wait till Friday since tomorrow is Thanksgiving here in the States. I'm going to be spending the day with my dad, brother, step mom, and step siblings tomorrow. Then on Friday, I'm getting up at the ass crack of dawn to try and get my husband a new XBox for Christmas with the Black Friday deals - because my husband wants one - and I'm an awesome wifey who likes to spoil him lol. Then I'm planning on spending the rest of the day cleaning/decorating my house for Christmas. So, to all of you living in the States, Happy Thanksgiving! Please be safe, be merry, and eat lots of food! Lol.**

 **Don't forget to leave a review, and see you guys next Friday (because I'll go back to my normal posting schedule next week). Hope you all have a great weekend/holiday.**

Chapter 7

Alec spends the rest of his Saturday cleaning, doing laundry, and cooking dinner for himself and Clary. With Clary working overnight shifts for the next ninety days, it's hard for her to keep a routine, therefore Alec has been trying to pick up more of the household responsibilities. He feels like it's the least he can do, considering everything that Clary has done for him over the years.

"What did you make tonight?" Clary asks as she sits down. Alec hands her a bowl of his homemade chili, along with sides of shredded cheese and sour cream. Clary, not having the forethought to wait for Alec, digs in. They sit in companionable silence for most of the meal.

"So, do you want to watch movies tonight, or are you going to abandon me in order to maintain some semblance of a sleep schedule?" Clary asks with a knowing smirk.

"Yeah I'm gonna go with the option of sleep. You're not the only one getting used to a new schedule. I can't stand having to get up at the ass crack of dawn. I much prefer the evening shifts." Alec replies as he's finishing up his first bowl of chili. The morning shift has always been hard on Alec. Not only is it the most boring shift, and it always seems like his days just drag on forever, but he's never been a morning person.

Once he scoops up his second bowl of chili, Clary finally speaks.

"Oh my god! Are you ever going to tell me how your date went?" Clary yells as she slams her fist on the counter, causing Alec to laugh.

"It went perfect," Alec responds vaguely.

"Care to share with the class, Mr. Lightworm?" Clary continues to glare, while Alec feigns contemplation.

"Nope," Alec gets up, puts his bowl in the sink, goes to the pot of chili and gestures to Clary to see if she wants more, then proceeds in pouring the leftovers in a container and puts it away. The bowls are rinsed and put into the dishwasher.

"Well, I'm going to bed." Alec glances towards Clary - who is still glaring daggers at him - and walks to his room.

"I hate you!" Clary yells at his retreating form.

"I love you too!" Alec yells back. "Goodnight!" he says in a sing-song voice. He chuckles as he hears her frustrated stomps towards their living room, then shuts his door.

Lying down on his bed, he's not exactly tired enough to go to sleep. After a few minutes, he turns around and grabs his phone, chewing on his lip as the dial tone sounds. The phone call is answered after the third ring.

"My, my, Alexander. To what do I owe the pleasure?" Magnus' rich, smooth voice comes through the phone. Alec laughs nervously. He's definitely starting to second guess making the phone call, worried that he may seem clingy.

"I was just calling to say hi and ask how your day went. I remember you telling me that you were going to have dinner with your parents tonight. Did you thank your dad for me?" Alec starts, silently cursing himself out for sounding too creepy, but it appears that Magnus doesn't mind.

"Oh yes I did! My dad was elated by the compliment, and my mother is ready to... meet you…" Magnus' voice trails off with a sound of uncertainty. This causes Alec to relax a bit. Magnus seems to be nervous as well.

"Well, maybe after a few more dates. Tell her that I'm looking forward to meeting them." Alec mentally punches himself in the balls for that comment. It is _way_ too early to meet the parents! Thinking of a way to change the subject, Alec continues, "Speaking of dates, what are your plans for Monday? I'd love to cook dinner for you. I know you said that you want to take this slow - and I'm completely on board with that - but I was thinking maybe I can cook dinner for you, and we could have a picnic at the park near my house?"

"I would love to have a picnic with you, Alexander," Magnus says, to which Alec relaxes. He now feels like he hasn't completely screwed things up by sounding too eager. "Would you like me to bring anything?"

"Nope, just bring yourself and your appetite. Leave everything else to me," Alec responds enthusiastically. "How does seven sound to you?"

"Seven works wonderfully. It will give me plenty of time to accomplish some things that I've been putting off all weekend," Magnus laughs.

The rest of the evening is spent with them discussing their days, the things they plan to do for the rest of the weekend, then they say their goodbyes. Alec goes to sleep with a smile on his face.

~oOo~

As Monday comes, Alec is doing everything he can to make sure this date goes the way he's planned. He wakes up early to make his homemade strawberry cheesecake. While the cheesecake is cooling in the refrigerator, he goes to the market to buy chicken breasts and vegetables to make his stir fry. He figures that would be the easiest to eat on a picnic - as opposed to the usual, boring sandwiches - and then heads home to prep all of the food so when the time comes for him to cook everything, all he needs to do it throw it in the pan as needed. Once he finishes preparing dinner, he gets the blanket, mason jars, and the battery operated tea lights, and puts them in Clary's car for later. He's enlisted his best friend's help to set everything up for him on her way to work this evening.

Now that Alec's had time to breathe, he realizes that his morning coffee has completely left his system. He goes into the kitchen and starts another pot. As soon as it finishes brewing, he hears Clary open her bedroom door. He grabs two mugs, fills them, then greets his best friend as she walks into the kitchen.

"Ugh, you've read my mind! Bless your sweet sweet soul for having the coffee ready." Alec chuckles at her little morning dramatics.

"Yeah, I was starting to crash myself. I just finished all of the prep work for tonight. Thank you again for setting everything up for me. Everything you'll need is already in the backseat of your car." Clary nods in acknowledgment as she sips her coffee.

They finish their coffee in silence, but as soon as the mugs are empty, Alec pounces on Clary. "Are you up for a walk? I'll show you where I want everything?" Alec questions. Clary slips on her shoes and they're on their way.

~oOo~

After receiving a text from Magnus letting him know that he's downstairs, Alec heads out to meet him. As Alec is walking to the main doors in the lobby, he has a clear view of Magnus. They are both dressed casually - both wearing sweaters and jeans - but Magnus is wearing a fitted emerald green sweater, fitted dark denim jeans, and nice shoes. Alec is starting to second guess his attire. He's dressed in a very faded, black sweater that has a few holes and fraying threads, and a pair of loose fitting, faded blue jeans. Alec stops walking for a moment, wondering if he can run back up to his apartment to change his clothes, but at that moment, Magnus turns and spots him. ' _Well, too late now,'_ Alec thinks as he continues to walk.

Magnus is smiling as Alec walks up to him. He's starting to feel even more self conscious as Magnus eyes him up and down. Magnus pulls Alec towards him and gives him a sweet, chaste kiss.

"How is it possible for you to look absolutely beautiful in a sweater that should have been thrown out years ago, Alexander?" Magnus asks, with a slight teasing note to his voice.

"I may or may not have wanted to run back upstairs and change when I saw you. We agreed last night on the phone that we were just going to have a casual night tonight. You're the one who decided to look like sex on legs, even in casual wear," Alec responds, causing a smug look to cross over Magnus' face. Alec can't help but to think that even while looking smug, Magnus looks adorable. "Shall we head over to the park?" Alec grabs Magnus' hand and leads the way.

They arrive at the area that Clary set up earlier, and Alec chances a glance at Magnus. He's nervous about his reaction because he doesn't want to come off as too cliché, but Magnus' reaction is one of awe. Alec lets out a relieved breath and guides him over to the blanket. The blanket is set up in a small wooded area that Alec found on one of his morning jogs years ago. He also comes here to think or just read every once in awhile. The mason jars with the tea lights are placed all around the blanket for a more romantic feel.

As the two men sit down, Magnus speaks up. "Alexander, this is so beautiful. I've never had anyone do something like this before."

"It's not too much, is it? I didn't want to make it seem like I was expecting anything out of this date, other than your company of course." Alec has been worrying over the setting ever since he thought of the idea. Magnus has made it perfectly clear that he wants to take their relationship slow, and the last thing Alec just wants is to give any mixed signals with the picnic set up. He respects Magnus' boundaries, but, at the same time, Alec has never had a relationship what _wasn't_ solely based on sex. This whole dating thing is new territory for him and he agrees with Magnus' desire to do things in the right order.

"Not at all, Alexander. This is perfect. It's romantic without being too private, but at the same time, it's private enough to give us the illusion that we're completely alone." Alec lets out a sigh of relief and proceeds to take out the wine and food. He sets the food down, then pulls out the plates, silverware, and the wine glasses.

"I hope you like chicken stir fry. I figured this would be the easiest to eat while sitting on the ground," Alec tells as he plates the food. "I've even pulled out the fine _Chinet_ for you this evening." Alec hands Magnus a plastic plate with a herringbone design to it, and chuckles at his little joke while Magnus also laughs. He plates himself some of the stir fry, then moves on to open the bottle of wine, pouring it into plastic wine flutes. "And let's not forget the expensive crystal wine glasses." He winks when Magnus looks up at him with laughter in his eyes.

"You really do know how to romance a guy," Magnus says while trying, and failing, to contain his laughter as Alec starts to blush.

"Yeah well...I just didn't want to bring anything breakable." Alec lifts his glass up to toast, "to a nice relaxing dinner." Magnus echoes his toast, tapping his plastic wine flute against Alec's.

Magnus takes a sip of wine, then grabs a fork to start eating. Alec nervously waits to see his reaction. He's used to wining and dining guys with home cooked meals, but being that Magnus grew up with a professional chef as a father, Alec is a little anxious about Magnus eating his food. Magnus' eyes widen when he finally takes his first bite. "Alexander, this is amazing! Dare I say this is better than my father's. The vegetables are cooked to perfection, and the chicken is so moist. How did you manage that with how thinly sliced they are?" Magnus continues to eat without waiting for Alec to respond. Alec gives a nervous laugh as he picks up his own plate of food.

"Honestly, I love the compliment, but I know your dad's must taste better than this. And I did marinate the chicken for a few hours before I cooked it. I didn't want it to dry out in the pan." Alec takes another bite before he continues, "I just looked the recipe up one afternoon back in college. Clary and I just finished a few cooking courses, considering neither of us could make anything that didn't involve a microwave, but we had chicken, rice, and vegetables in the fridge so I pulled up YouTube and watched a video. It's been trial and error ever since. Besides, stir fry is probably one of the easiest dishes to make."

"So how did you and Clary meet? I feel that on our date Friday night, I was the one doing all of the talking, while you just patiently sat and listened."

"Oh we met in college our freshman year. She and I had a few intro courses together, and she kind of hit on me one day. I told her that I was flattered, but she was definitely not my type. When she still didn't get the hint, I told her that I played for the same team, but she was still clueless. I had to bluntly tell her that I'm gay, then after her embarrassment wore off, we became instant best friends," Alec remembers fondly, "shortly after, she and I started working together at JJ's, then she needed a roommate, and I needed a place to live, so when she asked, I accepted." Alec knows that's not the full truth, but he really isn't ready to talk about his past just yet.

Magnus just laughs, "That poor girl! Did you at least feel a little sorry for her when you rejected her?" Alec laughs when he thinks about Clary's reaction to him being gay.

"Actually yes, I did. But her response was, ' _Oh well. I promised myself that I would be more bold when I went to college, and you're still hot regardless so own it dude.'_ Then we started talking about our classwork. It was great that she didn't dwell on it, but even if she had, it still doesn't change the fact that I am 100% gay and not attracted to her in that way." Alec finishes. "But even her brother tells us that we have a very domesticated relationship. Our friendship just works, you know."

Alec thinks for a moment before he continues, "She and Jon are like siblings to me. When Jon found out that Clary's roommate was a guy, he drove back down from Harvard to beat the crap out of me. He assumed that because she was living with a guy, I automatically wanted to get in her pants. You should have seen the look on his face when I told him that I was more attracted to him than I was to her. I swear I think his brain stopped working. It took him a good five minutes to realize what I was saying to him. Not that I was hitting on him, but I was doing it to make a point." Alec realises that he's going off on a tangent and abruptly stops speaking, then blushes fifty shades of red. He never talks this much, or this openly. It's a strange concept for him.

Magnus pulls Alec's chin up with his index finger so he can look him in the eye.

"Why did you stop talking? I was enjoying listening to you speak so animatedly about your friends." This causes Alec to blush even more.

"I can honestly say, you are the first person I've spoken so openly to, other than my family of course." Alec then curses himself for bringing up the dreaded F word. He knows what Magnus is going to ask next, and waits with bated breath.

"Well tell me about your family." ' _And there it is!'_ Alec thinks. He blows out an irritated sigh, then looks at Magnus. "Lets just say that the people who raised me weren't the nicest people in the world. For all intents and purposes, the Morgensterns are my family now." Alec really doesn't want to get into that conversation.

"Of course, I didn't mean to dredge up bad memories." Magnus looks a little disappointed when Alec decides to give a vague answer about his parents. Alec feels a pang of guilt, not only for not telling Magnus the story, but also for not bringing up his siblings.

"It's fine Magnus, it's just a very touchy subject for me. I will tell you about it eventually, but I'm just not ready yet, okay." Magnus clears his throat and nods. "Thank you." Alec manages to breath out. He then goes back to the basket and pulls out the two slices of cheesecake, which causes Magnus' eyes to widen in delight. Before Alec can even get the lids off the containers, Magnus lunges at him, giving Alec a searing kiss. Alec reciprocates automatically. The kiss quickly escalates when Magnus pushes Alec down, ending up lying mostly on top of him. He runs his fingers through Alec's hair and pulls lightly, causing Alec to moan into the kiss.

The kiss seems to last for hours, or only minutes, Alec can't be sure. When the need for air becomes too much, Magnus moves to kiss the back of Alec's ear, then nips at his earlobe, causing another moan to escape Alec's lips. When the sensation becomes too much, Alec grinds his straining erection against Magnus' leg. Magnus continues his exploration to Alec's Adam's apple, nipping and sucking hard. Alec is too lost in the moment to care that there is going to be a huge mark on his neck tomorrow. Soon, Magnus' hands travel further down, cupping Alec's erection over his jeans. This brings Alec back to reality and he instantly grabs Magnus' wrist, pulling it back to safer territory. Magnus gives him a look of confusion.

"Magnus, as much as I would love to continue this, there are two things stopping me. One, we both agreed to take this slow, and two, I'm not sure about you, but I'm not much of an exhibitionist." This causes Magnus to spring up quickly while looking around to make sure no one witnessed their impromptu makeout session, which in turn, causes Alec to chuckle and sit up.

Alec opens the containers and hands one to Magnus, then he pulls Magnus to sit in between his legs and the two men feed each other cheesecake, while sharing light kisses in between bites. They finish up, pack the basket and throw away their trash, then head back towards Alec's apartment building. Once back at the apartment, they say their goodbyes, kiss, and part ways. The only thought on Alec's mind as he's walking up the stairs to his door is, _Magnus Bane truly will be the death of me!_

~oOo~

 **So… my beta asked me why Alec had Clary set up the picnic site, the answer to that is simply because, I don't know. I just did, lol. We'll just say that she did it so Alec could focus on getting ready…**

 **Sounds like a good enough excuse, right?**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys! So this chapter starts about three months after our boys start dating. I know, it's a bit of a time jump, but I do have my reasons for it. I hope you enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review! Have a great weekend, and see you next week.**

 **Also as a side note, I got my hubby his Xbox for Christmas! Along with two games. I do want to find another game for him as well, but I have a month to get it lol.**

Chapter 8

Alec walks into work with a scowl on his face. He's dead tired, and looking forward to this week being over with. They're finally at the end of their ninety day shift, and on top of him being sick of waking up so damned early everyday, he is also dealing with being sexually frustrated. He and Magnus have been seeing each other almost daily outside of work, but they have yet to move their relationship to the next level. They are exclusive with one another, but whenever their make out sessions start to progress, Magnus stops everything. Alec is starting to get a serious case of blue balls and it's killing him. He's never said anything to Magnus about it; he's too afraid of coming off sounding like a dick. He respects Magnus' boundaries, but it doesn't make it any easier.

Everything else about their relationship is going well. As predicted, Aline knew all along about Magnus' sexuality, due to her relationship with Magnus' mother, and Magnus did mention that Chief has known since day one. Magnus still isn't comfortable about mentioning it to any of the other guys at work, much to Alec and Aline's prompting. But once again, that's Magnus' decision, and Alec isn't going to go against that. He respects him too much to push the subject any further. Aline also knows about Alec and Magnus' relationship. They've been on a few double dates with her and Helen. Actually, Helen's older brother Mark has volunteered to be a sperm donor so Aline and Helen can start their family. That has been a process in itself and Magnus and Alec have definitely been kept in the loop, much to Alec's distaste. To him, hearing about all their conception attempts is very nauseating, while Magnus looks genuinely interested.

Alec takes it all in stride since they've become such close friends, but it takes some effort.

Magnus has also met Clary, Jon, and Holly. He adores Clary and Holly, but Jon has scared the ever living shit out of Magnus. The first time they met, Jon went all protective big brother on him, and gave Magnus 'The Speech'. Alec was there during it, and even he has to admit that it was quite terrifying. Magnus was so shaken up after their first meeting, that he made Alec promise to teach him self defense. The training sessions have been rather fun, and Magnus is a fast learner, however, the lessons also didn't help with Alec's little predicament. Alec has been taking cold showers for months, and it's getting old pretty quick.

Alec has also met Magnus' best friend, Ragnor Fell. Ragnor is originally from London and went to the same boarding school as Magnus. He's now living in New York as a Junior Account Executive Broker on Wall Street. Alec and Magnus met him at JJ's one morning about two weeks ago, and Ragnor is one grumpy Brit. Judging just from the two hour conversation Alec had had with the man, he seems to fit in at Wall Street seamlessly. The guy has been working on Wall Street for a little over a year, and he has more accounts than any other junior executive. He's also scary as fuck! Where Magnus was worried about Jon, Alec is more concerned over the brooding Englishman killing him. Although Ragnor has a very grumpy demeanor about him, he tends to look at Magnus with a brotherly affection. Alec can tell that the two are as close of friends as he, Clary, and Jon are.

Alec is brought out of his thoughts by the sound of Magnus and Aline arriving. Alec nods his head acknowledging the two, then sets to work on inspecting their ambulance for the day. He makes sure the vehicle is stocked, clean, then calls dispatch for their starting milage and shift change information. Once he's completed his morning tasks, he notices Magnus hovering off to the side. Magnus takes a quick look around then walks over, puts his arms around Alec's waist, and gives him a sweet kiss.

"Is everything alright, darling? You seem tense this morning," Magnus inquires once he lets Alec go.

"I'm fine," Alec sighs out, rubbing his hand over his forehead. "I'm just tired and I'm ready for this rotation to be over and done with."

"Just four more days, then you are free to sleep in for the next ninety days." Magnus smirks. He's fully aware of Alec's aversion to waking up early. He did tell Magnus that he wasn't always like this. Back in high school, he loved waking up early, doing his MMA training, or going out in the backyard of his parents' home and firing off arrows, but now, he just can't seem to want to get out of bed before noon. "I'll even take you out for a cup of coffee when we get off tonight, if you'd like, of course."

This causes Alec to smile. Magnus knows of his dependency on coffee, and instead of trying to break him of this particular habit, he enables him. To Alec, that just makes him even more perfect.

"You certainly know a way to a man's heart, don't you," Alec mutters as he's looking up into those beautiful golden-green eyes.

"Well, you are the first man I've dated that has such an addiction to caffeine. However, I do love keeping my man happy," Magnus admits with laughter in his eyes.

' _Now if we could do other things, I'd be even more happy!'_ Alec wants to say. Quelling the urge, he leans his head on Magnus' shoulder and laughs instead.

~oOo~

Throughout their day at work, Alec sends a few texts to Jon and Clary, plays a few board games with Magnus, Aline, Jordan, and a few other guys, then sits down and starts reading a book. It's hard to concentrate on the words, though. His brain just keeps returning to thinking about Magnus. When he's trying to read the same paragraph for the fourth time and can't remember what's happened in this entire chapter so far, he considers simply giving up.

He's still debating this when one of the guys runs in the common room shouting that there is a box of kittens outside, causing everyone to get up to go take a look. Once they're all outside, they do in fact find a box of kittens. There appear to be about eight in the litter. They're all either solid white or solid gray, with the exception of one, that is a mixture of both. All of the guys reach in and grab one while Alec stands back and watches. He doesn't want to get attached to any of the kittens because he knows he can't take any of them home. Their appartment has a very strict 'No Pets Allowed' policy. He looks up to see Magnus walking over to him with the gray and white tabby.

"Look at this little guy! He's so adorable!" Magnus exclaims with joy in his eyes, "I'm definitely taking this one." He cradles the little animal close to his chest and looks around with slightly narrowed eyes, almost like he's convinced someone's going to steal the kitten from him. Which, of course, causes Alec to chuckle and pet the little guy. Magnus lets him, albeit slightly begrudgingly.

"Shouldn't we take them to a vet or something? They all look too small to be away from their mother," Alec states as he's still scratching the kitten under it's chin.

"There was a note attached to the box. It said that the kittens are seven weeks old, but the owner couldn't take care of them. The poor mother died, but the owner didn't want to take them to a shelter, saying that they were too afraid that the kittens wouldn't be put in good homes." Magnus shakes his head. "It appears that everyone is taking one home with them."

"Why don't you and I take it to the vet when we get off, just so we can make sure that this little guy is healthy, then I'll take you to the pet store so we can get it some food and other necessities," Alec offers, still petting the kitten. Alec loves animals, he wanted to get a pet growing up, but his parents wouldn't allow it. They thought Alec, Izzy, and Jace wouldn't actually take care of it, and it would have been up to his parents to take on that responsibility.

"You'd be willing to do that for me?" Magnus asks, looking away from his new little fur baby.

"Of course I would." Alec furrows his brows. "I love doing things to keep my man happy," he whispers and throws an inconspicuous wink towards his boyfriend, which causes Magnus to throw his head back in laughter. Alec could listen to his boyfriend's laugh everyday for the rest of his life and never get tired of hearing it. That is when Alec realizes - and comes to terms with - the fact that he is slowly starting to fall hopelessly in love with the man standing before him.

~oOo~

Once their shift ends, they head towards a vet's office that Alec looked up online. Alec's getting ready to make his right hand turn when Magnus shouts out a 'no'. Alec looks over at his boyfriend like the man has completely lost his mind.

"Why on god's green earth do you not want me to turn?" Alec questions.

"Because, I promised you coffee from JJ's, and I intend on keeping that promise," Magnus states, like it's the most obvious thing in the world. "Just pull in, I'll have you hold the kitten while I run in and get your coffee." Magnus almost thrusts the small animal into his face, looking like he's making a big sacrifice by doing so. Alec just rolls his eyes and pulls into JJ's. Magnus hands Alec the kitten, then quickly exits the car.

"Your new daddy is a wittle on the scawy side isn't he?" Alec says using a baby voice. "Yes he is! Yes he is!" He then proceeds to pull the kitten towards him and gives him a kiss on the top of his head. The kitten snuggles into Alec's chest, purrs, and takes a little nap. Alec can't help but to internally gush at all of the cuteness.

"Here you go, my…" Magnus is cut off by a shushing noise, as Alec points to the sleeping kitten. Magnus' eyes light up, and mouths ' _Awwwww!'_ , then carefully shuts the car door, and they drive off.

Once at the vet, they walk up to the front counter, sign in, then wait. At this point, Magnus has the kitten in his arms, Alec has his cup of coffee in one hand, while the other is stroking the kitten's head.

A few minutes pass before they're being called into a room. They walk in, give the vet all of the information they are able to, then she does her examination on the kitten. She does confirm that the kitten is, in fact, a _he_ , and she asks what they want to name him.

"Chairman Meow!" Magnus automatically says. Alec and the vet turn around and burst out laughing at the pun, in Alec's case, although the vet might just be surprised by the sheer ridiculousness of the name.

"Well Chairman Meow, it's very lovely meeting you today," the vet says as she grabs his little paw to shake. "Your daddies seem to love you already," she adds, which causes Alec to blush.

"Actually, he's just Magnus' baby. I'm not allowed to have pets at my place," Alec explains while rubbing the back of his neck.

"Nonsense, Alexander, he is _our_ kitten. He's attached himself to you, just as much as he's attached to myself," Magnus responds, which causes Alec to blush even more. The vet laughs, then proceeds to give the Chairman his vaccinations.

Once they finish up, Magnus pays and schedules Chairman's next appointment for his booster shots, then they head over to the pet store.

At the store they buy him everything he needs, food, a dish, litter and a litter box, a few toys, a collar with a bell on it, and a small bed. Magnus is especially excited about the box the small bed comes in, immediately gushing about the cat videos he's seen online about cats and cardboard boxes. Alec helps Magnus get everything up to his apartment. Magnus lets Alec know that he's going into the kitchen to feed Chairman Meow, fill his water dish, and pull out left overs from the night before to heat up. He walks into the living room where Alec and the Chairman are, and begins to set out a small kitty play area for the Chairman, then sits down on the couch.

"So, my parents wanted me to ask you if you would be available to meet and have dinner together in about three weeks," Magnus says with a little uncertainty. This causes Alec to tense up slightly, but the more he thinks about it, the more he wants to meet them. This is also the first relationship that Alec has been in where his significant other has presented the idea, and he's comfortable enough to even consider wanting to meet their parents.

"Yeah we can do that, when do they want to get together?" Alec asks.

Magnus' eyes widen in surprise by Alec's response. Then he goes to the kitchen to grab his calendar. The two men look through it to find out when their days off are going to be in three weeks, and Magnus calls his parents.

While Magnus is on the phone, Alec hears the microwave beep, so he goes to the kitchen to grab their dinner. After he's given the Chairman some love, of course. Walking back into the living room, he sees Magnus animatedly talking to his parents. Alec chuckles, gives Magnus a kiss on the cheek, and sets the food down on the coffee table. He retreats back to the kitchen to get both of them something to drink. Alec doesn't exactly know when he started feeling comfortable enough to just make himself at home in Magnus' house, but Magnus has never said anything about it, and doesn't seem to mind. He hears Magnus ending the call with his parents as he walks back in with their drinks.

"So is everything all set up?" Alec asks.

"Yes, we're going to have dinner with them on Thursday the thirteenth." Magnus takes a sip of his drink and continues, "My parents are really looking forward to meeting you." Alec smiles and starts eating his dinner.

"Oh, did Jordan mention to you that we're all going out to Kaelie's Thursday night? We usually go out at the end of every rotation to just unwind and hang out before we start the new shift schedule."

Magnus swallows before answering. "He did, I already told him that I'd be there. I assumed that you would be going as well."

Alec nods. "I'm assuming that we're just going as friends then?" Alec asks with a little uncertainty, causing Magnus to sigh in exasperation.

"Alexander, I know that you want me to come out to everyone, but I'm just not ready yet." There's a certain uncomfortable heaviness that comes with the topic, and it settles between them heavily. Alec nods quickly and changes the subject.

They end up talking about Chairman Meow and his sudden burst of energy as he's currently running around the entire house at full speed. Then they move on to other light topics. When Magnus makes no effort to be himself around their coworkers, Alec can't help but to feel like he is Magnus' dirty little secret. The concept is fun at first, but now his insecurities are getting the better of him.

After they finish their dinner, they play with Chairman Meow, who seems to have gained a demonic amount of energy. Eventually, Alec helps Magnus clean up. As they wash their dishes together, they share a few light kisses. Then Alec says his goodbyes to the Chairman, which consist of him picking up the tiny kitten, snuggling him towards the crook of his neck, and kissing his little head. He puts the Chairman back in his little bed, and turns to face his smiling boyfriend. Alec pulls Magnus into an embrace and gives him a slow, passionate kiss. Before the kiss can escalate, Alec pulls back and walks out the door, insecurities still weighing heavily on his mind.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 9

It's Thursday and Alec couldn't be more thrilled. This is the last day for a long while that he needs to get up at five o'clock in the morning for work. He's also looking forward to going out with all of his coworkers and having a good time.

Alec pulls into his parking space at the station, gets out, grabs his bag with a change of clothes in it, and heads inside. He has a feeling that today is going to be a great day.

Alec sees Magnus as soon as he steps into the locker room and gives him a wide smile. Magnus returns his smile accompanied by a chuckle.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning," Magnus bends down to reach for his own bag and places it in his locker. "Is there a specific reason for your good mood?"

"I woke up without wanting to destroy my alarm clock, traffic was smooth enough that I had time to stop by JJ's on my way in," Alec shows Magnus his to-go cup of coffee, "and, I get to hang out with you tonight." Alec looks around the locker room just to make sure the two are still alone, then bends down and kisses his boyfriend.

"So tonight, did you want to ride over to the bar with me?" Alec asks.

"Of course, I was also going to ask if you would maybe want to spend the night tonight?" Alec's eyes widen the size of saucers. This is the first time Magnus has ever asked him to stay the night.

"Y-yeah...absolutely. A-are you sure?" Alec can't help but to ask, mostly due to the fact that he's been waiting for this moment for a while now.

"I'm positive, Alexander. I'm ready now." Magnus then lowers his voice, "I think I've been ready for a while, but for the last two weeks, you've stopped any activities before they could get started."

"I just didn't want to do something you weren't ready for," Alec replies with a shrug. _Yep, today is going to be a great day._ _And tonight, tonight I'm finally going to make love to the man that I'm hopelessly falling in love with._ Alec thinks to himself as he puts his bag in his locker.

They walk out of the locker room, finding Aline in the common room talking to Jordan. Alec motions towards the doorway, and she quickly follows them out to the garage. Alec completes his inspection, and while he's on the radio to dispatch, Aline and Magnus finish up their beginning of the shift routine. With it being the end of their work week, today is also the day that they have to wash the exterior of the ambulance. Just as they finish rinsing off the ambulance, they get a message from dispatch that there was a call from a babysitter stating that an eight year old boy fell out of a tree house with a possible break in his left arm. They immediately climb in and head out to the incident.

Upon arrival, there is a young woman holding a crying boy sitting on their front porch. Alec immediately gets the splinting kit out of the ambulance and walks over to the boy.

"Hey buddy, my name's Alec. I'm going to be taking care of you and get you to the doctor okay?" He holds out the kit. "Do you mind if I take a look?" The little boy shakes his head but whimpers at the same time.

"What's your name?" Alec asks while he's palpitating the arm. He wants to keep the boy preoccupied while he does his assessment and splint the arm.

"My name's Tyler. Are you a doctor?"

Alec chuckles, but shakes his head no.

"I am a paramedic, it's my job to keep your arm from moving around too much before we can get you to see a doctor. Do you know what the doctor is going to do when you arrive at the hospital?" Tyler shakes his head no."He's going to take you to this really cool room, then put this awesome lead vest over your chest and stomach, kind of like a plate of armor. Then they are going to take pictures of your arm. Do you know what the pictures will show?"

Tyler shakes his head no again.

"These cool pictures that he's going to take will actually show the bones in your arm. That's how the doctor will be able to tell if it's broken or not," Alec tries to speak with enthusiasm so he can keep Tyler as calm as possible. At this point, he's finished assessing the arm, and is putting it in a splint. "Okay Tyler, I'm all done here. How about me, you, your babysitter, and my team take you for a ride to get those pictures taken? Aline over there will turn our cool sirens on." Tyler giggled and ran over to the ambulance. They pile in and head to the hospital, and, true to Alec's word, Aline turns the siren on. Tyler thinks it's the coolest thing in the world.

When they get back to the station, Magnus pulls Alec aside and kisses him with more ferocity than he's ever done before.

"The way you spoke to Tyler, and just handled him altogether was so sweet." Magnus kisses Alec more tenderly this time around. "I just wanted to let you know, plus, I didn't want to wait until I got you to my apartment before kissing you." With that, Magnus walks away. Smiling like an idiot, Alec follows Magnus to the common room.

As Alec is stepping foot into the common room, he can hear Aline talking about the call they just got back from.

"...seriously you guys! When I finally have my baby, I'm totally going to use him as my babysitter! He's a natural around children! I kid you not, he almost had me in tears, it was such a beautiful thing to witness," Aline gushes, causing the rest of the group to laugh. "Oh come on Magnus! Help me out here, you saw the same thing!" At this point, Alec is beet red and interjects Aline's appraisal of him.

"How about you go find out if those injections have started working, Aline. All I did was distract the poor boy while I poked and prodded at his arm. Nothing to get worked up about."

Aline sticks out her tongue at him and Alec dodges the boot she sends flying in his direction.

~oOo~

Once they get to the club, Alec automatically notices Kaelie and Brad at the bar making everyone's drink orders. Alec and Magnus are the last two to arrive due to the quick make out session they had in the parking lot, then they had to compose themselves enough to be able to actually walk into the bar without raging hard ons. Magnus grabs Alec's attention and points to the table that everyone is sitting at, and they make their way through the crowd.

"Hey man, I ordered a pitcher of beer for the table. Aline is only going to drink soda tonight, but I didn't know if you guys wanted anything different or not," Jordan tells them as they sit down.

"Beer is fine with me, what about you Magnus?" Alec asks.

"Beer's fine," was his only response. Alec is a little curious about Magnus' choice of drink, considering he doesn't really drink beer. Alec gives Magnus a curious look, but he just shrugs it off like it isn't a big deal.

"So Alec, are you going to pursue any conquests for the night?" one of the guys, Joshua, asks. Alec nearly chokes on the beer he's sipping.

"No man, I'm in a committed relationship now. In fact, I'm going to his place tonight," Alec replies. Sure, before meeting Magnus, Alec most likely wouldn't have declined someone's advances, but it wasn't like he made a habit of going home with a different guy every night. When Alec was in a relationship, he was loyal. "You do realize that was a one time thing, right Josh? Not to mention that was at least six months ago."

"Well forgive me for assuming. It's not like you joined us last time we went out," Josh replies slightly condescendingly. The rest of the guys look at Josh like he's lost his mind. The way Josh just spoke says a lot about the kid's character. Josh's insinuations have Alec fuming.

"Well the last time we did this, I had my best friends college graduation, which is why I didn't go with you guys." Alec doesn't really like Josh that much, and he doesn't know why he feels the need to justify his actions to this little prat. He reminds Alec of Sebastian, but at least Sebastian is a bit more tame and mature than this kid, not to mention that Sebastian is Alec's friend. "What about you? Are you going to find some random chick to hook up with?" Alec asks with a little more venom in his voice than he meant to. Josh looks slightly taken aback by Alec's blunt question.

"Naw man, I'm not like that," the kid stammers out. Joshua is the youngest guy they have working in the station. He just got out of Fire Training Academy. He's a pretty good firefighter from what Jordan says, but he's insanely immature.

Conversations break off into groups. Jordan, Josh and Bat are all talking in low voices; Shane, Tanner and Jamal are having a conversation amongst themselves. This leaves Aline, Magnus and Alec to their own conversation.

"Alec, don't let that little shit bother you, he's young and doesn't know everyone very well yet," Aline says, trying to cool Alec's temper down a bit. Alec nods his head, then feels a slight pressure to his knee. He looks over at Magnus and smiles.

"He does seem like a bit of a wanker. I've never had the desire to speak with him unless he asks a direct question," Magnus reassures Alec even more as his thumb caresses his knee.

Alec is about to say something else when a beautiful woman walks up. She's blonde, petite, and has green eyes. She's wearing a tight red dress that stops mid thigh, and her heels and lipstick match the color of the dress flawlessly.

"Hey there handsome, what's your name?" the woman directs her question at Magnus. Alec wants to laugh, because this woman doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell with his boyfriend.

"Hello darling, name's Magnus. And aren't you a vision to behold." Alec and Aline's jaws hit the floor.

 _Surely Magnus isn't flirting with this woman. He's just being polite,_ Alec thinks as his heart rate speeds up to the point where it feels like it's going to beat right out of his chest. "What's your name?" Magnus asks in a very flirtatious tone. In fact, it's the same tone he used with Alec the night they met at this very bar.

"Well handsome, come to the bar with me and buy me a drink, then you might very well get a name," the woman says. At this point, Magnus stands up without making eye contact with Alec or Aline, and gestures towards the bar.

"Lead the way." And with that, Magnus follows the woman to the bar, leaving Alec and Aline staring after the couple completely dumbfounded.

"Did that seriously just happen?" Alec breathes out, trying to fight back the tears that are threatening to fall.

"Is he that desperate to keep his secret that he would do that to you?" Aline whisper yells. Alec can't help but to feel like he was living some sort of deja vu, and Aline knows all about Alec's ex and the way he treated him. The only thing left for him to do is to just keep an eye on Magnus. Maybe there's a logical explanation for what Magnus is doing?

"Damn! I didn't realize Magnus was such a chick magnet. That woman is hot as fuck!" Jamal pipes in. It's definitely not helping Alec's mood at all.

"Uh yeah, I guess he is," Alec says without looking away from the bar. Magnus is smiling at the woman while the woman wraps an arm around his neck, pulling him closer to her. It's taking all of Alec's energy to not march up to where they are standing and pry that bitch off his boyfriend. He and Magnus are going to exchange a few words when this night is over.

 _Why couldn't he just tell that woman that he's not interested? Why is he going through this much trouble, just to hide who he is and what we have?_ Alec thinks as he's sipping his beer. Alec glances around the table. Most of the guys are laughing and joking around, but Jordan has this unreadable look about him. Alec can't seem to decipher it, nor does he care at the moment. He's just too focused on the fact that his boyfriend, the man who he's completely falling in love with, is out there flirting with a woman right in front of him. He looks back towards Magnus and sees that they are making their way towards the dance floor. At this point, Alec has had enough. He gets up and looks over at Aline.

"I'm going to go use the bathroom, keep an eye on them for me, yeah?" Aline nods and he walks off.

Once in the bathroom, Alec leans against the door and takes a few calming breaths to help keep the tears at bay. He is done with this night. All he wants to do is go home and curl up in his bed. His mind is going a thousand miles per hour, trying to figure out how everything has become so messed up in such a short timeframe. Alec is going over the events of the last three months in his mind, wondering just how he ended up screwing things up with Magnus so badly that instead of him telling that blond bitch - as well as the rest of the guys - that he's in a relationship, he just goes off with her as if one, he's not taken, and two, he's interested.

Maybe Alec was pressuring Magnus so much about coming out to everyone at work, that he felt he had no other options than to flirt with her? It's the only conclusion that Alec can come up with. No matter how hard he tries to justify Magnus' actions, it is a fucked up situation. Alec walks over to the sink, turns on the water, and splashes his face with the cold, sobering water. He dries himself off, then heads out of the bathroom.

He's almost reached the table when he hears everyone whistling, and catcalling. Looking up, Alec sees that Magnus is in a tight liplock with the blonde she-devil.

Once the shock wears off, Alec pulls out his wallet, throws a twenty down for his part of the tab, and walks away.

~oOo~

 _ **Hhheeeyyy guys! Yeah please don't hate me… it will get fixed… eventually.**_


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 10

Magnus is dancing with Camille - whose name he finally learns - and it all feels wrong in his mind. She's a beautiful woman, but that's just it...she's a _woman_. She isn't Alec, and as soon as Magnus leaves the table, he feels like he's being the worst boyfriend in the world. Magnus panicked when Camille came up and started hitting on him. He hadn't wanted everyone at the table to question why he denied her advances, so he'd just flirted back instead. He knows that what he's doing is wrong, but he just can't stop at this point. As the saying goes, 'It's better to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask permission', well it seems that Magnus is going to be on his knees begging for forgiveness. He's about to tell Camille that he's going to head back to his table, when she grabs his shirt and pulls him down into a kiss. He's so stunned at this point that it takes a few seconds for his brain to catch up with his body. He pulls away from the kiss just in time to see Alexander storming out of the bar. Magnus doesn't even register all of the wolf whistles and catcalls that are going on at the table. _Fuck!_

The next thing Magnus knows, he's being pulled away from Camille.

"Excuse me, but Magnus needs to go and explain to his _boyfriend_ why he's suddenly making out with some random slut!" Aline sneers as she's dragging him away. They step outside just in time to see Alec's car speeding away. Magnus' heart plummets at the sight of his boyfriend's erratic driving. He can't help but to think back to the conversation they'd had the first night that Magnus started working at the station.

' _I was a stupid nineteen-year-old gay kid who was just going through a very difficult time at that point in my life.'_

Magnus is now terrified that Alec will be too distracted to drive, and get into another accident. The next thing Magnus feels, is a hot searing pain on his left cheek. ' _Did Aline just slap me?'_

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Why in the hell would you do something like this to Alec of all people? Do you realize what you've just done? Huh?" Aline yells, she looks like she's almost in tears. Magnus can't really blame her, he feels the same way. "Magnus, I swear to god you better answer me right now!"

"I-I don't know! I panicked okay! She was flirting with me and instead of doing nothing about it, I just went along with it!" Magnus stammers out as he's crying. "I just didn't want anyone to question why I was rejecting a woman." At this, Magnus is full on sobbing.

"It didn't occur to you to maybe say 'Thanks, but no thanks. I'm in a relationship.' It's not that hard Magnus." Aline says.

"I didn't want everyone asking questions! I was too afraid of slipping up and saying something that would cause them to know that I'm not only gay, but I'm in a relationship with Alexander," Magnus chokes out in between sobs.

"Well honey, I hate to break it to you, but after that little stunt, I'm not so sure you are with Alec anymore," she says in a sad tone. She's also rubbing her temples. "Come on, I'm taking you to Alec's house so you can have a talk with him, and try to salvage what's left." As Aline starts walking, Magnus just stays rooted in place. When she reaches her car, she notices that he hasn't moved. "Unless, this was your way of getting out of the relationship in which case, you're a true piece of shit."

"No, no. I want to go over there, I'm just terrified of what he's going to say." Magnus continues to stand on the sidewalk, leaning against a light pole, with his hands threading through his hair, and lets out another sob before walking towards Aline's car.

"You'll never know unless you man up and go talk to him. It's better to do so now than wait till later." she states, not unkindly. Magnus nods, walks over to her car and gets in the passenger seat.

~oOo~

The entire drive over, Magnus is texting and calling Alec; begging him to answer his phone. After the fourth attempt at calling, it goes straight to voicemail, which doesn't give him much faith in ever being able to call Alec his again. Magnus is also diligently searching the streets to make sure that he doesn't see Alec's car crashed on the side of the road anywhere. As Aline continues driving, Magnus' leg can't seem to stay still. He's so anxious to get to Alec's house that he can't seem to calm down. His emotions are at an all time high at the moment, which is no one's fault but his own. He did this! He has to make it right, no matter what it takes.

Aline pulls up to the apartment building and puts her car in park. She turns so that she's facing Magnus, looking at him with a mixture of annoyance and pity.

"Do you want me to wait for a few minutes just in case he doesn't let you go up?" Aline asks.

"No, you've done more than enough to help me. If I can't fix this, I deserve to have to walk all the way home," Magnus whispers, looking down at his hands. Aline nods and wishes him luck.

Magnus gets out of the car, walks up to the buzzer, and pushes the button for Alec's apartment repeatedly.

"If this is Magnus, I want you to go away!" the very angry female voice, who Magnus recognized as Clary, screams, causing the intercom to crackle loudly and unpleasantly.

"Please Clary, I have to speak with him. I know I messed up, but I have to do whatever I can to make things right again," Magnus chokes out. As soon as he'd heard Clary's angry voice through the intercom, his composure fell completely by the wayside.

"You're not speaking with him tonight Magnus, go away."

"Please!" Magnus pleads desperately. "I'll sit out here all night if I have to, I just need to see him. I'm begging you, just please let me come up."

There's only silence on the other end of the cold metal speaker. Magnus knows that Clary is ignoring him, which is understandable with what he's done to her best friend. Magnus sits on the steps, puts his head in his hands, and lets out an uncontrollable sob. He's starting to hyperventilate when he feels a hand touch the small of his back. He knows that hand belongs to Clary - Alec's hand is twice the size of hers - and she starts to rub circles over his back to try and help calm him down. After what feels like years, but has probably only been a few minutes, Magnus's breathing becomes easier.

"I'm not going to let you see Alec tonight, but I would like to at least hear your side of this story," Clary says in a soft voice. Magnus takes a few calming breaths before he begins retelling the events of tonight.

"Wow...okay. You really did screw up Magnus. There's no denying it," Clary says as she looks up at him with big green eyes. "I'm going to tell you a story, and I know Alec is going to kill me for telling you, but I think you should know." Magnus solemnly nods his head.

"Alec...has had nothing but bad relationships. It doesn't matter the type of relationship, whether it be romantic or otherwise, nothing has ever worked out for him," Clary began. "I won't get into the details with his parents - so don't even try to ask - but Alec has only had two serious romantic relationships before you came along. His first boyfriend, Scott, was a complete asshole. Their time together started out well enough, but then Scott became possessive, he even went as far as to try and control who Alec associated with."

Clary pauses and Magnus senses she was building up to something important.

"When they broke up, Scott looked Alec dead in the eye and said something Alec had never forgotten. 'No one in their right mind would be with you willingly.'

"I told Alec to ignore him but he was never able to," Clary continues. "That phrase was burned into his mind. It hit a little too close to home for him. Sometimes I think he believes Scott's words to be true. No matter how many times my parents, Jon or myself tell him otherwise, that night has become part of how he defines himself." Clary takes a breath before continuing. Magnus can tell that this conversation is taking its toll on her.

"Next came Adam, and he was everything you could possibly ask for in a boyfriend, loving, kind, understanding… but he also had a downfall. Adam wasn't out of the closet. It didn't really bother Alec that much, considering he too hadn't been out that long. He dated Adam for about a year and a half, and Alec honestly thought that Adam was it for him. They were moving in together when one night, Alec decided to leave work early to surprise Adam. Adam had given Alec a key to his apartment, and Alec decided to use that key for the first time and set everything up for a romantic dinner and proposal. The only problem was, when he walked into the apartment, it was Alec who got the surprise of his life, not the other way around. According to Alec, Adam already had a fiancé, who was a woman."

Magnus can't help the shocked look he gives Clary at that moment.

"It turned out that Adam had come out to his parents, who'd been fine with him being gay as long as he married a woman and raised a family. He could have discreet relationships with men, and he expected Alec to be his dirty little secret."

Clary is glaring daggers at Magnus, and Magnus feels like he deserves every dagger. Clary takes a deep breath before continuing.

"So Magnus, this is where my problem lies with you. In my eyes, tonight you're basically no better than Adam. You went through so much trouble to keep an unnecessary secret, that you broke my best friends heart." The expression on Clary's face is that of unadulterated hatred. "I honestly thought you were different, but it appears that I was wrong. You, Adam, and Scott are just reinforcing Alec's ridiculous notion that there is no such thing as pure, unconditional love." With that, Clary stands up to go back inside.

"Please tell me what I can do to fix things, Clary." Magnus whispers.

"I don't know if you can, Magnus. I leave to go to work at six o'clock tomorrow evening. I know Alec won't allow you in, however, if you just happen to show up around the same time I leave for work, I won't stop you from going inside to see him."

With that, she walks away.

~oOo~

 **It's going to get better soon guys. I know a lot of y'all aren't very happy but… ya'll will get over it, I'm sure lol. ;-P**

 **Also, I'm updating tonight because tomorrow I'm going to be stupid busy all freaking day long! But early is better than late, right?**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 11

Magnus presses his back against the wall in front of Alec's apartment building. He feels as if he has been broken into two, and it's all his own fault. It takes Magnus far longer than he realizes to pull himself together. When he's finally able to get a grip, he calls Ragnor.

"You better have a good reason for calling at this hour?" Ragnor grumbles.

"I need a ride home," Magnus whispers, trying to not let Ragnor hear that he's been crying. Of course, he fails. Ragnor's voice changes instantly as he realizes what kind of state Magnus is in.

"Where are you?" Ragnor asks, and Magnus gives the address. Once the phone goes dead Magnus lets his hand fall, the rest of him following suit as he hits the ground. Magnus doesn't get up off the ground until Ragnor's car pulls up.

"I'm not going anywhere till you tell me what the hell happened?" Ragnor snaps as Magnus closes the door behind him.

And then Magnus has to recount his tale. It's painful to relive, and of course, Ragnor is pissed when he finishes, just as Alec is.

"Why didn't you just tell the woman you were in a relationship," Ragnor argued.

"I was worried about the questions people would ask," Magnus replies. "I was scared it would happen again."

The look on his friend's face is that of understanding. Ragnor knows what happened in London, but there is something else in his expression as well: pity and dismay. Magnus hates the pity, but he can't be surprised, the story has upset Ragnor.

"I can't say I blame Alec for reacting the way he did," Ragnor says. "I like Alec. He's a great guy, but more than that, he's good for you. You two are complete opposites, but you seem to balance each other out perfectly."

Magnus isn't sure if he should thank Ragnor or cry some more. In the end, neither of them say anything. Ragnor starts the car and they drive in silence.

~oOo~

Magnus glances over at his friend who is sound asleep on the loveseat. Ragnor told Magnus that he needs to tell Alec exactly how he feels about him, since the one thing Magnus knows for sure is that he's completely and irrevocably in love with Alexander. Magnus has been in many relationships before, he's also been in love before, but what he feels for Alec is far greater than any love that he's had in the past. Magnus plans on doing everything in his power to gain Alec's trust once again, and have the man he loves back in his arms. He just doesn't know what that's going to be as of yet.

Magnus hasn't slept well. His neck is killing him, he feels like crapr from all of the crying he did last night, and his mind is all fuzzy. Checking the clock above his mantel, he learns that it's a quarter past four in the afternoon. Standing and stretching his sore muscles, Magnus thinks that he either needs to buy a more comfortable couch, or just never fall asleep on the thing again, before heading to the kitchen.

Chairman Meow greets Magnus with a meow, pacing in front of his food dish. Magnus feeds the cat, then goes and puts a kettle of water on for tea. He puts some bread in the toaster because he knows that he needs to eat something, but the emotional roller coaster of the last twenty-four hours has left him without much of an appetite. The toaster pops just as the kettle whistles. As he sits and eats his breakfast, Magnus contemplates what he's going to say to Alexander.

A few moments later, Magnus walks back to the living room, dressed and ready to leave. He sees Ragnor still curled up on the loveseat so he walks over, and gently nudges him awake.

"Hey cabbage, I'm going to head over to Alec's place and talk to him. Will you be here when I get back?" Magnus hopes and prays his best friend will still be here. He has a feeling that he's going to need him after his discussion with Alec.

"Yes you wanker! Now leave me alone so I can sleep, damn it," Ragnor mumbles into his pillow. With that, Magnus grabs his wallet and keys, and leaves the loft.

~oOo~

Magnus pulls up to Alec's apartment at five minutes to six. He parks his car but instead of waiting on the elevator, he rushes up the stairs to Alec's floor. He reaches the door just as Clary is stepping out.

"I was beginning to think you weren't going to show up," was Clary's only response as she walks past him. "Don't make me regret this Magnus. He's in his room. He hasn't left his bed since he got home last night."

Magnus takes a deep breath to calm his nerves before he walks inside.

Magnus makes his way to Alec's bedroom. He only knows which one is his because Alec pointed it out one night when he came over for dinner after work. It's a shame that the first time Magnus sees the inside of Alec's room, he's here to grovel at his feet instead of being in there for more intimate activities. Magnus opens the door slowly, making sure that he doesn't startle Alec in the process. The room is very dark. Magnus can only make out Alec's silhouette. He hesitantly walks over to the bed.

"Alexander… can we talk?" Magnus asks quietly. Alec rolls over and sits up. He turns on the bedside light, and Magnus gets his first real look at Alexander since getting up to dance with Camille. Seeing Alec like this, breaks Magnus' heart. His eyes are puffy and red from crying. He can see tear tracks down Alec's cheeks, his nose is red and there is a hopeless look in his eyes.

"What the fuck are you doing here, Magnus?" Alec sneers. "Shouldn't you be with your new beard?"

"Alec, please let me explain...I…" But Magnus is cut off by a seething Alec.

"Explain what exactly? That you intentionally flirted with a woman in front of me? Or that you walked away from me, your _boyfriend,_ so you could freely be with that blonde Barbie? Or that you've been stringing me along for three fucking months, just so you could betray me? Was I just some game to you, Magnus?" Alec's voice had been so angry at the start but it breaks during the last sentence.

"Alexander, no! I didn't do this on purpose, and you aren't some game to me. I panicked, I was so worried about keeping my secret that I fucked up. I didn't even want to kiss her, she was the one who kissed me, please believe me!" Magnus pleads.

"You are joking, right?! Magnus, most people would say thanks but I'm seeing someone. They don't just play along with something like that! Do you even care about me at all?" Alec yells.

"Of course I do, Alec, I'm completely in love with you!" Magnus yells back, and Alec barks out the most self deprecating laugh that Magnus has ever heard.

" _You're in love with me_? Wow, thanks. It's nice to know what it looks like when someone is ' _in love with me._ ' Remind me to stay far, far away from love from now on. That's bullshit Magnus, and you know it! People don't do things like that to those they supposedly love. Go away!" With that, Alec turns off his bedside light and rolls over. "And don't let the door hit you on your way out."

Magnus sighs, stands up and walks away, feeling like his entire world has just shattered. As he reaches the door to Alec's bedroom, he turns around, "I'll do everything in my power to make up for what I've done, and prove to you that I love you and want you in my life, Alexander."

"Uh huh, sure whatever," Alec mumbles from beneath his comforter.

Magnus closes the door and walks out to his car with tears running down his face, but he's determined to make it up to Alexander.

~oOo~

As soon as Magnus steps foot into his loft, he sinks to the floor and cries. His chest feels like it's attached to a vice grip, he can't seem to catch his breath, and his heart feels like it's shattered all over the floor. He feels Chairman Meow rubbing against his leg, and then Ragnor's strong arms wrap themselves around Magnus.

"I take it that things didn't go well?" Magnus can't even respond so he nods his head.

"It's going to be okay Magnus, he'll come around. You two are meant to be with each other, I have no doubt about that," Ragnor says reassuringly.

"I told him that I was in love with him and he laughed in my face!" Magnus chokes out. "Who does something like that?"

"Oh, dear old friend. You also need to see things through his perspective. You essentially cheated on him - right in front of him I might add - if the roles were reversed, would you believe someone saying that to you?" Magnus has to consider what his friend was saying. Until this moment he hasn't put himself in Alec's shoes. He's surprised at what a difference it makes. Of course he wouldn't believe it. Magnus can't help but to feel completely hopeless about the situation he's put himself in. As if Ragnor is reading his thoughts, he adds, "Don't give up on Alec. Show him that you truly do love and care for him. He will see it eventually. Don't give up hope."

"I did tell him that I would prove it to him. I just don't know what I can do to prove it," Magnus says as he's scratching the Chairman behind the ears.

For the rest of the weekend, Ragnor and Magnus come up with ways that he can win Alec's trust back.

~oOo~

Magnus is dreading going back to work today. He's not looking forward to seeing Alec. He doesn't know if he will be able to bear the heartbroken look of his, now ex, boyfriend. He walks into the common room of the station and sees Alec immediately. Alec looks so tired and worn down.

' _I did this! This is all my fault!'_ Magnus thinks as he walks past, avoiding eye contact. Magnus doesn't even know if Alec's received any of the flowers that Magnus has been sending to him everyday. There has been nothing but radio silence on Alec's end, not that Magnus can blame him.

Magnus walks into the locker room to change into his uniform when he notices Sebastian and Jordan talking. The two men approach Magnus. Jordan looks a little uneasy and Sebastian looks furious. Magnus has no idea why he looks that way, maybe Sebastian has had a rough shift.

"We need to talk," is all Sebastian says as he walks towards the back of the locker room. Magnus and Jordan follow closely behind.

"What's going on?" Magnus asks, still confused.

"Listen Magnus, what you did Thursday night was completely uncalled for," Jordan states. Magnus' heart is pounding out of his chest. _How could they possibly know what's going on? Did Alec out him?_

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with us, Bane! I know for a fact that you are dating Alec, and the stunt that you pulled Thursday night was uncalled for!" Sebastian said, raising his voice. Jordan puts a hand on his shoulder to, what Magnus can only assume, calm him down.

"I see that after what I did, Alec has outed me to the whole station, huh?" Magnus feels defeated and a little betrayed.

"Alec hasn't said a word, Magnus. Sebastian only knows because he has seen the two of you out together. I only know because you look at Alec the same way that I look at my Maia," Jordan states sympathetically.

' _Oh! We weren't as careful as we thought we were.'_

"Why haven't you two mentioned this before?" Magnus asks.

"We didn't think it was any of our business. What or who you do is only your concern. It's not like it's a big deal anyway. We just assumed that you two wanted to keep things to yourselves," Jordan explains.

"We just want to know why you treated Alec like a piece of trash Thursday night. You don't seem to realize that Alec has had a rough life. He doesn't deserve to be treated like a toy, and based off of the broken look he is sporting, and the fact that he looks like he hasn't slept in days, you've really fucked him up, and that is not okay!" Sebastian yells.

"Okay, okay. Keep your voice down, Seb. At least let Magnus explain," Jordan reasons.

Magnus runs his hands through his hair and groans. "Look, I didn't want people here knowing that I'm gay. The last place that I worked at treated me like shit because of my sexuality. I didn't want a repeat of that. And yes, I know that no one here thinks that way, but I was sorta traumatized at my last job. I was scared to death that history would repeat itself if I came out to you all." Magnus lets out a frustrated sigh. He's _really_ tired of having to defend himself. "As for Thursday night, when she came up to me, I panicked. Instead of just telling her that I was in a relationship, I just went along with it. And yes, I know that I made a terrible, terrible mistake by doing so, but I can't go back and change that. I can only do what I can to fix it." At this point, Magnus is trying to fight back the tears. He's shed quite a few tears this weekend, and he's just so tired of crying.

"Well you better fix it, Bane. Alec deserves better than you," Sebastian sneers. He and Jordan walk away, leaving Magnus alone in the locker room with his depressing thoughts.


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey Guys! So for some weird reason I forgot to write on AN last week. So I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas/Holiday, depending on what you celebrate. And I hope everyone has a Happy and SAFE New Year.**

 **Now, onto the chapter. I promise it'll start getting better for our boys.**

Chapter 12

A few weeks have passed since the breakup. Alec allowed himself their four day break to wallow in self pity and get over his heartbreak. Of course, no one needs to know that he isn't over Magnus, and he doesn't think he'll be over him anytime soon. The first four days, Alec barely managed to get out of bed. Once he was required to do so for work, he managed to get up early enough so that he could go for a run which had helped clear his head, as well as worked out some of the knots in his muscles from lack of use during those four days. After the first day of running, Alec made a new routine for himself. This included running, going to the gym, cooking, cleaning, and anything else he could do to keep himself from falling into some semblance of a depression. He also hasn't been back to Kaelie's bar since, what he now calls, 'The Magnus Incident'. It also helps that Alec doesn't get off work until two o'clock in the morning, so he can't go in and drink, even if he wanted to.

These days, Alec doesn't speak to Magnus unless he has to for work reasons, avoiding him the rest of the time. Magnus has tried to approach Alec on multiple occasions, but Alec just can't be around him.

Magnus, unfortunately, has been a constant in Alec's thoughts. Magnus had said that he's going to do everything in his power to earn Alec's trust back, but so far, all he has managed to do was piss Alec off. Over the last few weeks, Magnus has only tried to buy his way back into Alec's life. First are the flowers, which are delivered to Alec's apartment daily. Then there are also the chocolate covered fruits. First it was strawberries, then cherries, then various types of melon. Magnus has also managed to have food delivered from different restaurants. Some had even been from Magnus's dad's place.

The whole thing is making Alec wonder if Magnus even knows him at all. They were together for three months, he really should know by now that Alec doesn't care about materialistic things.

It's not what you can buy, it's the way you choose to act that counts.

Magnus has made no effort to contact Alec at all since he showed up at his house the day after everything had happened. No phone calls, no texts, nothing. Alec also knows that he's not making it easy on Magnus, but he can't help but feel petty about everything. Magnus ruined their relationship all because of the fact that he is too terrified to come out to everyone at work, so Alec is making no effort to speak to him while they are there. Luckily their relationship, or lack thereof, hasn't affected their job performance. They still work great together.

Alec has noticed, though, that even Aline barely speaks with Magnus anymore. This abrupt change in the nature of their friendship is very confusing, so Alec decides to confront her about it one day.

"Hey, Aline?"

"What's up?" Aline glances towards Alec while she's putting her lunch in the breakroom.

"I was just wondering, why are you giving Magnus the cold shoulder? He's your friend too." Alec shuffles his feet as he asks, feeling increasingly uncomfortable about this conversation, but he doesn't want Magnus to lose everyone he's close to.

"He wanted to act like a petulant child, all for the sake of his discretion, now I'm going to act like the petulant child, and make him realize that he's an asshole." Is Aline's response. She closes the refrigerator after putting the container she's holding in there, and the thud of the door closing signals the end of their conversation.

Alec doesn't really agree with Aline's reasoning, but he can't do anything to change her mind. Even Sebastian and Jordan have been acting strange lately. Alec has no idea what the deal is with that, but as shitty as this may seem, he can't bring himself to care enough to ask. They've done nothing wrong, but lately, Alec has given zero fucks about a lot of things that should matter to him. As of right now, it seems like the only thing Alec can do is just exist.

As Sebastian finishes giving Alec the shift change report, Jordan walks over. Alec raises an eyebrow at the two. They clearly have something they want to say, but neither of them will speak up. Getting frustrated, Alec rakes a hand through his hair and huffs.

"Listen Alec, we just want to say that we're sorry," Jordan starts. Alec, clearly confused, just nods his head.

"We know that you just broke up with your boyfriend," Seb hesitates, then adds, "we can see it written all over your face. You were talking about this guy nonstop, then suddenly you come in here and you look like hell, you barely speak to anyone, and your patience seems to be at an all time low."

"Uh yeah… I did end things recently. Turns out, he was just another cheating asshole." Alec feels nauseated just thinking about the breakup.

"Well if you need anything, you know you can come to us right?" Jordan offers kindly. "Maybe our next night off, we could have a guys night. We'll take you out and get you drunk. We can even be your wingmen, how does that sound?"

Alec huffs a small laugh. "I appreciate it guys, but this last relationship really fucked me up. I don't think I'm ready to go out partying with you guys yet. Raincheck?" They both nod. "Thanks guys." Alec slaps his friends on the shoulder and walks off feeling just a little better. It's good to have friends.

~oOo~

So far they've all had a busy shift. It's Saturday night, with it being the beginning of September, college students are back in full swing, and they all seem to become dumber as the years go on. They've had calls for three small dorm fires, two fraternity fights that required medical attention, and one public intoxication. The police also had to arrest the woman who was drunk beyond belief, even though she was sent to the hospital to have her stomach pumped. Now they're heading to pick up a guy from a bar fight. Dispatch told them that the man they're picking up has a two inch laceration to the head, possible broken leg, and a possible dislocated shoulder. ' _This should be a fun time,'_ Alec thinks sarcastically.

When they arrive at the nightclub, they're let in immediately, seeing as the club has been cleared out enough to let the gurney through. The nightclub owner ushers them back to where they're holding the patient.

"So, do we need to wait for the police before we do anything?" Alec asks as they're walking.

"I've decided not to press charges on the young man that you're picking up. From what witnesses say, the kid was just dancing when a woman came up and started dancing with him, then the woman's boyfriend showed up and sucker punched him. The poor guy was just defending himself," the nightclub owner explains. The owner maneuvers everyone out of the way for them to work on the patient.

"Thanks sir, we'll take it from here," Magnus states once everyone is cleared out. Alec gets a good look at the patient and his breath hitches.

He never thought he'd see this person again.

"Jace!" Alec exclaims as he runs towards his brother. Alec isn't sure, but he swears he hears Magnus growl as Alec reaches up to gently prod at the cut on his brother's head.

"Okay Jace, how did this happen?" Alec is still assessing his brother's injuries while he waits on a reply.

"This huge asshole decided it would be fun to toss me around like a ragdoll, all because his girlfriend came up and started dancing with me," Jace grits out.

Alec finishes cleaning and putting the steri-strips on his brother's head, then continues to look over the rest of him. He can clearly see that Jace has separated his right AC joint based on the protrusion of his clavicle, and Jace's left knee is swollen to the size of a cantaloupe. Alec evaluates the knee. Based off of the evaluation alone, he knows that Jace has torn his ACL and MCL. God only knows how much of his menisci he's torn. Alec can only hope that Jon is the on call resident tonight.

"Alright man, let's get you to the hospital and see what the extent of this damage is," Alec says through gritted teeth as he helps Jace onto the gurney.

"Great. I'm looking forward to it," Jace replies back sarcastically.

He stays mostly quiet as they roll the gurney out of the club and to the ambulance that's waiting outside, but the silence doesn't last long.

"So tell me, Alec, where the hell have you been for the past five fucking years?" Jace sneers as they load him in the back of the ambulance.

"Jace, I can't get into that right now. I'll talk to you about it later if I'm allowed to visit you," Alec says solemnly. His emotions have been at an all time high ever since the breakup, and now that he's seeing his brother for the first time in years, he's having a very hard time keeping the tears away.

"What do you mean, 'if you're allowed to visit me'? You're the one who left all those years ago, no one is stopping you from coming back," Jace grits out. Alec can tell that his pain level is increasing now that the adrenaline is wearing off.

"Jace! I didn't choose to leave! Mom and dad kicked me out!" Alec hisses. "Now, once we get you to the hospital, I'm sure the nursing staff will call them in, then I'll have to leave. Can we please not fight about this?"

"Yeah okay fine, but I don't want them to call mom and dad. I want to go home with you, if that's okay? We have a lot of catching up to do," Jace says, his eyes searching Alec's face for something Alec isn't sure he will be able to find there.

"I can arrange that." Alec clears his throat. "I just need to clear it with my roommate, but I don't think that'll be a problem. You can sleep in my room." Alec can see how red Magnus' face is getting, but he doesn't doesn't understand why, nor does he care. Yes, he knows he's an emotional wreck, but he hasn't seen his brother in five years. It's a lot to take in.

"So are you going to introduce me to your coworkers?" Jace smirks. "You seem a little rude there don't you think, big brother?" And… he winks. _He fucking winks!_ Alec can't help but to laugh.

"Yes Jace, so this is Magnus, and the one driving is Aline. Guys, this is my younger brother, Jace." Magnus' face lights up as he greets Jace. Aline yells out a quick hello as she drives up to the ER entrance.

They wheel Jace back as Alec is giving Clary the details of his assessment. Then Clary makes a quick call to ortho, just as Magnus and Aline appear at Alec's side.

"Jon will be down as soon as we get the x-rays and MRI's back. I can say for certain that his AC joint is in fact separated. But as far as the ligament damage is concerned, we won't know until we get the MRI results back. But I think Jon is going to request a wet read so he can see if we need to prep your brother for surgery," Clary reports in her professional tone. "Jonathan also mentioned that he does not want us to call his emergency contact, and that you will be taking care of him afterwards?" She quirks an eyebrow at Alec.

"Uh yeah, he asked if he can stay with us while he recovers. And don't you dare call him Jonathan outside of this hospital. He hates his name, much like you hate yours."

That causes Clary to laugh. "Fair enough, what am I supposed to call him then?"

"He prefers Jace. My parents gave him that nickname when they adopted him." Clary nods in understanding.

"Hey Alec," Magnus says, clearing his throat, "if you want, you can stay with your brother. I can have Aline call the station to give them a heads up on what's going on. Then I can bring your car back, if you want. Our shift ended about an hour ago anyway." The uncertainty in his voice surprises Alec.

 _This is the type of thing he wants Magnus to do to try to 'prove himself',_ Alec thinks. He suppresses the petty urge to decline Magnus' offer, and forces himself to be take the mature approach to the situation instead.

"Uh yeah, that'd be great. Thanks Magnus." Alec gives a small smile as he hands Magnus his car keys. With a quick nod, Magnus walks over to Aline and they exit the hospital.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Clary sounds just as surprised as Alec feels.

"Yeah," Alec croaks and clears the lump that's settled in his throat, "neither was I."

~oOo~

Alec's assessment on Jace was spot on. He has a full ACL tear, a partial MCL tear, and they do need to clean out the damaged menisci. They've decided that the knee needs the surgery immediately. Not only did the ligaments tear, but there is also patellar luxation, which means there is no way that Jace will be able to walk on his leg until the repairs have been made. He's also going to need extensive physical therapy. They also have to repair the AC joint separation, which is going to cause Jace a lot of down time.

Now that Alec is sitting in the waiting room, he has nothing to do but think of everything that's happened in the last few weeks. He thinks about Magnus, of course. The subject quickly morphs into his previous boyfriends and why he stopped dating to begin with. The conversation he's had with Jace follows up that train of thought seamlessly.

Would it have been beneficial for him to go back into the closet just so he could stay close to his parents and siblings? No, no matter how hard his life has been since being kicked out, he doesn't regret not denying who he truly is. He leans forward, places his elbows on his knees, and puts his head in his hands. Alec sighs deeply, running his fingers through his hair. He just feels numb.

Just then, Alec feels a very familiar hand on his back, slowly rubbing comforting circles. He looks up to see Magnus sitting beside him. Even after what Magnus has done to him, the sight of Magnus alone takes his breath away. Facing forward, Alec clears the tightness in his throat and keeps his eyes trained on the linoleum floor in front of him.

"When I was fifteen, I was in the front yard throwing a football back and forth with my baby brother. He was only nine at the time. Max threw the ball back to me, but his aim was horrible. The ball rolled into the street, and when I was about to run after it, Max told me that he was going to get it, so he could try the throw again. He looked both ways before he went to retrieve the ball, but our neighbor was distracted on the phone. He ran the stop sign and hit Max. I called 911, and the paramedics did everything they could to try to save him. He died at the hospital three days later." Alec stops to compose himself for a moment before continuing, "Of course, I placed the blame all on myself. I was being irresponsible, and I didn't protect my brother the way that I should have… but my parents, Jace, and Izzy all told me that it was no one's fault. It was just an accident that could have happened to anybody. Eventually I believed them.

"A few weeks after the funeral, I wanted to talk to my parents. They own a law firm that handles corporate accounts for businesses all over the U.S.. They always said that they wanted me to go to law school and eventually take over their firm. But my passion changed. God! I was so scared to tell them that I didn't want to follow in their footsteps. I wanted to make my own way in this world, and I wanted to do something that made a difference in someone else's life. I told my parents that I wanted to become a paramedic. They only looked at each other, then faced me, and said okay. When I asked them if they were mad, they told me that the only thing that would make them mad is if I did something that didn't make me happy. They told me that all they want is for their children to be happy, as long as it wasn't something illegal." Alec chuckles at that. "They also told me that no matter what, they loved me and my siblings unconditionally.

"I've always known I was gay. When Jace started looking at girls, I was noticing all of the boys in our classes. I never said anything about my sexuality because I never thought it was a big deal. In high school I didn't really care about dating anyone. The only thing that I was worried about was getting good grades so I could go to college. I went to prom my senior year in high school, but I went with a group of friends. I knew of a few guys in school that were out, but I didn't like them enough to bother. Not to mention that I didn't want to get into a relationship my senior year, then only have to part ways once we went to college. Like I said, it just wasn't something that interested me.

"My freshman year in college, I met a guy who I ended up having a huge crush on. This guy, Scott, seemed to notice me as well. A few weeks after I met him, and after he and I started getting to know each other, I arranged to have lunch with my parents. They wanted to know how school was going, and if you knew my brother and sister, you would know that they like to compete for center of attention. They were both seniors in highschool, and they tended to go on and on about themselves every night at the dinner table. I didn't mind, of course. I love my siblings, and I always liked hearing about their days. But mom and dad wanted to know what was going on with my school work, and my social life." Alec stops once again to compose himself. "My parents took a Friday afternoon off from work.

"We were at the house having lunch together, and I was telling them all about my first semester as a college student. After I told them about my classes, I told them all about Scott. I didn't think anything of coming out to them. I think I was more afraid to tell them that I didn't want to be a lawyer, than I was of coming out." Alec notices silent tears falling down his cheeks. "Once I finished telling them about Scott, my parents had this look of disgust aimed towards me. Once they recovered from their shock they told me to leave. They gave me an hour to pack my clothes, they took my cell phone and my credit cards away, then told me to never come back.

"I couldn't even say goodbye to my siblings. I slept in my car the first night. Clary was able to get me a job working at JJ's, she's the one who found me asleep in my car, and I've been living with her ever since. About a month after I got my job, I was able to get a new cell phone. I called my parents' landline one afternoon, thinking they would be at work, and one of my siblings would answer the phone. To my disappointment, my mother answered. I asked to speak to either Jace or Izzy but she refused. She told me that she and my dad had told Jace and Izzy that because of "certain lifestyle choices" that I had made, they were no longer allowed to have any contact with me. My parents had gone ahead and changed Jace and Izzy's cell phone numbers just so I couldn't contact them on my own. I questioned my mom on what she had said exactly, fearful of how my siblings would react to the news of their older brother being gay - considering how my parents reacted - and she said that she and dad told them that I was currently in a relationship that they didn't approve of and, therefore, until I "got my act together", I was no longer welcome in their family.

"I wrote my parents off that day. I figured that if they didn't care, why should I? Scott and I ended up dating for several months, then he became possessive. He even tried to get me to move out of my apartment. He said that I spent too much time with Clary and Jon, and I was neglecting him. The last straw was when I came home from the gym one night with Jon, and Scott had Clary pinned up on the wall in our hallway choking her to death. He was arrested, and I haven't seen or heard from him since. Of course, Clary's parents made us move and change our phone numbers just in case.

"Then, a few months after I graduated, and started working at the station, I met this guy named Adam. He was everything to me. He and I dated for about a year and a half, and I was planning on proposing to him. But then… then I found out that he had been lying to me during our entire relationship. He told me that he was still in the closet, but as it turned out, his parents had 'made' him find a woman to be his beard, while he maintained his indiscretions with men in private. After that failed relationship, I decided that it wasn't worth it anymore. I would flirt with men who showed interest in me, I would occasionally hook up when I wanted a release, but I never considered having a serious relationship again."

Alec looks over towards Magnus for the first time since he's started his story.

"And then I met you. You're the first person I've even considered dating in years. And unfortunately, you have proven my theory correct. Every relationship has stipulations... conditions if you will. With my parents, I had to be straight. With Scott, I had to give up who I was, and people who are everything to me. Adam only wanted me as long as I shoved myself back into the closet. And you… you only wanted me as long as no one we work with found out. My parents lied to me, Magnus. There is no such thing as unconditional love, and you proved that to me once again. You claim you're in love with me, but you're willing to hurt me as long as you can keep your secret."

A single tear was running down Magnus's cheek, but Alec continues on, "I don't think that's love, Magnus."

At that moment, Jon walks out and tells Alec that Jace is in recovery and he can go back to see him. Without another word, Alec gets up, and walks away from Magnus.

~oOo~

 **AN: Wow, how about that information dump! Alec finally opened up to Magnus, only he did so after their relationship ended. At least now you guys understand what's going through Alec's head and why he thinks and feels the way he does.**

 **I promise you guys, next chapter gets better with our boys. Just keep trucking along with the angst. It's almost over… for the most part.**

 **Medical Terms and Definitions:**

 **Acromioclavicular** **Joint-** **The acromioclavicular joint, or AC joint, is a joint at the top of the shoulder. It is the junction between the acromion (part of the scapula that forms the highest point of the shoulder) and the clavicle.**

 **Anterior Cruciate Ligament-** **a cruciate ligament of each knee that attaches the front of the tibia with the back of the femur and functions especially to prevent hyperextension of the knee and is subject to injury especially by tearing — also called the ACL.**

 **Medial Cruciate Ligament-** **The medial collateral ligament (MCL), or tibial collateral ligament (TCL), is one of the four major ligaments of the knee. It is on the medial (inner) side of the knee joint. Its primary function is to resist valgus forces on the knee.**

 **Meniscus (Menisci-plural)-** **A piece of cartilage shaped like a crescent and located at the junction of two bones in a joint. The meniscus acts to absorb shock.**

 **Patellar Luxation-** **Luxating patella (or trick knee, subluxation of patella, floatingpatella, or floating kneecap) is a condition in which the patella, or kneecap, dislocates or moves out of its normal location** **.**

 **Wet Read- If needed, a "wet read" could be obtained by having a radiologist look at the film prior to the full drying process - literally looking at a wet film. The term "wet read" still persists, although now it implies a preliminary or stat read.**

 **Sorry for the nerdy geek out with the medical information. It's kind of my passion if you guys haven't noticed. I specialize in Orthopedic and Emergency Medicine.**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey guys! So this chapter is a little earlier than expected due to the fact that I'm stuck at work for the next 4-8 hours (I've already worked 8 hours today). It has snowed in southeast Virginia, and we got around 16 inches of snow. Mind you, IF we actually do get snow, it's usually only about an inch or two. Needless to say, we've had a few call outs tonight, and not enough nurses to cover the shift, so that's why I'm still at work. Yay… (note the sarcasm)**

 **Anyway, hope you guys have a good week. On to the chapter.**

Chapter 13

Alec finally gets Jace back to his apartment at ten in the morning. Clary left the hospital at the end of her shift, and was all too willing to get Alec's room ready for Jace to take it over for the next few weeks. While Jace was in the hospital, after he came out of his surgeries - and because of the fact that he was so doped up on narcotics - he would not stop hitting on Clary. Alec had always thought those two would be good together. He'd been planning on setting them up before he got kicked out of his house and lost touch with his siblings. Drugged up Jace was quite entertaining. He kept asking things like if ' _the pretty redheaded nurse would give him a sponge bath'_ , or Alec's personal favorite, ' _can the pretty redhead please, please, please, suck him off'_. Usually Alec would be appalled by his brothers behavior, but considering how flustered it made Clary, and the fact that Alec just hasn't cared about anything lately, it was pretty amusing. Luckily for Jace, he didn't say any of those things in front of Jon. The only thing Jace said in front of Clary's brother was, ' _that redheaded nurse is sssooo pretty, and sssooo nice.',_ which only caused Jon to laugh and agree with Jace.

Alec wheels a very groggy Jace over to his bed, then slowly helps him into it. Once he's done getting Jace settled, he goes and lays down on the couch for a couple more hours of sleep. Though he's really not looking forward to going into work this afternoon. He sets an alarm on his phone, then relaxes and closes his eyes for a while. After what felt like minutes, but has actually been two hours, Alec's alarm goes off. Grumbling, Alec gets up and ready for work, then checks on Jace before he leaves the apartment.

~oOo~

Alec arrives at the station, tired as hell. He almost wishes he called out sick today. He walks in and is immediately greeted by Magnus. He's surprised that there were no flower or food deliveries this afternoon. Alec just assumed that Magnus has given up on trying to persuade him to get back together again. Alec wouldn't be surprised if that were the case, especially after what he said to Magnus at the hospital last night.

"Hey, I thought you might need this today." Magnus says shyly as he hands Alec a cup of coffee from JJ's.

"Thanks, you didn't have to do that." Alec says, taking a tentative sip. He almost groans at the taste. Alec really does need the coffee.

"I know I didn't have to, but I wanted to. How's your brother doing?" Magnus says with a shrug as they continue to walk towards the common room.

"He's in a lot of pain, which is to be expected. I've got him all set up in my room, which means that I'm going to be sleeping on the couch for the next few weeks. Jon did say that Jace should be walking on his own in about three weeks, but until then, he can only stand long enough to shower," Alec says. "The shoulder is going to be about eight to twelve weeks before he's able to even take it out of the sling, and that's just during his physical therapy." Sighing, Alec tries to pull his tired thoughts together to continue. "You know, after not seeing him for the last five years, I'm terrified to have to explain to him why I wasn't able to see him, or talk to him, or hell… even write a letter to him. I'm just dreading the inevitable conversation." Alec doesn't even know why he's confessing these insecurities to Magnus. He can tell his mind is all over the place right now, but being in Magnus' presence has always been easier to talk. It's almost as if Alec had known Magnus longer than the three and a half months.

As they sit down, Magnus gives Alec an ambivalent look. "Well, based off the small interaction I've seen between you and Jace, I think keeping it from him would do more harm than good. He seemed very bothered by the fact that you just disappeared for five years. Are you worried about how he's going to react?" Magnus asks tentatively.

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of. I'm terrified that he's going to have the same reaction as my parents. He's not only my brother, he was also my best friend growing up. I just got him back Magnus, I can't lose him again." Alec's voice sounds vulnerable, even to his own ears.

"Alexander, I don't think you'll lose him. Even though I don't know Jace, he doesn't seem like the homophobic bigots your parents seem to be." Magnus says with a tone of disgust, but Alec couldn't focus on that.

"Magnus, you just called me Alexander." Alec says, unable to focus on anything else for the moment

"Yeah… and?" Magnus has a look of confusion.

"You've only ever called me by my full name when we were alone." Alec whispers.

"I'm fully aware of that, but I honestly don't care anymore. I've caused too many problems by hiding who I really am. I'm not going to do that any longer." Magnus lowers his voice, "I'm not going to just announce that I'm gay, but if asked, I'm not going to deny it. And I'm also tired of hiding my feelings for you. You mean everything to me Alexander, and I don't care who knows."

To say that Alec is stunned would be an understatement. First the offer of Magnus bringing Alec's car to the hospital, then the coffee this morning, now he's blatantly said that he's not going to hide anymore… Alec just can't believe what he's hearing. He didn't realize it until they'd been spoken with such conviction, but it was those words that he'd needed Magnus to say and mean to prove there was still hope for them. But why would Magnus want to continue to try winning Alec back? Especially knowing that Alec is damaged goods... so to speak. After the way Alec spilled out all of his baggage, Magnus knows that Alec is damaged. Magnus knows that no one can love Alec unconditionally. Unconditional love simply didn't exist.

"Magnus, you don't have to do that. I never wanted you come out, just for my sake. I wanted you to come out for your own benefit." Alec confesses.

"Alexander, this is just as much for my benefit, as it is for yours. It took me losing you to figure out that my fears were unjustifiable."

"Your fears were completely justifiable! I can't even fathom what you went through in London. I was just trying to point out to you that you had nothing to worry about here. No one would ever consider doing that to you." Alec says with conviction.

Before Magnus has a chance to speak, they're interrupted by Sebastian walking in to give Alec the shift change report. Once they finish, Alec, Magnus, and Aline go out to the garage to inspect the ambulance and make sure it's stocked up for the day. The subject isn't brought up again.

~oOo~

Throughout the day, Alec has been getting text updates from Clary on how Jace has been doing. Other than him being sore, and being in and out of consciousness all day due to the Percocet he's been prescribed, Jace is doing as well as to be expected. Alec hasn't been worried about how well Jace has been getting along with Clary, until the last text she sent before she left for work.

 _From Clary:_

 _Hey, so I'm not going to kick your brother out of the apartment, but only because of you. I know you need time to reconnect with him or whatever, but I'm just letting you know that I'm going to stay with my parents because Jace is an ass!_

Alec looks over at the text completely confused with how quickly things changed between his best friend and brother.

"Are you okay, Alec?" Magnus asks. Alec looked up from his phone to see concern on Magnus's face. He must have noticed Alec's demeanor change.

"I'm not sure. Here look." Alec hands Magnus his phone so he can read the text for himself.

Magnus quickly reads it, then hands Alec's phone back with the same look that Alec has. "I'm going to go outside and give her a call to find out what the hell happened," Alec says. Magnus nods.

As Alec heads outside, he dials Clary's number, and she picks up on the first ring.

"Your brother's an ass," Clary says in way of greeting.

"What happened? Everything seemed fine up until now." Alec says, slightly frantic.

"After I helped him get in his wheelchair so he could go use the bathroom, he somehow managed to corner me in the hallway and cuss me out!" This causes Alec to groan.

"Why in the hell would he do that?" Alec asks, and this time it's Clary's turn to sigh.

"Alec, honey. You do realize that Jace thinks you and I are dating, and I'm the reason you were kicked out of your parents house, don't you?" Clary questions, in a very condescending manner.

Alec remembers what his mother said to him the day that he called her. She did say she told Jace and Izzy that he was in a relationship that they didn't approve of. Groaning upon realization, he tells Clary that he'll talk to Jace as soon as he gets home from work, and he'll text her after he clears everything up with Jace. They end their call, and Alec walks back to the common room.

Magnus and Aline give Alec questioning looks, but Aline is the first to speak up. "What happened? Is everything okay?" She asks, and Alec tells them about his conversation. Aline seems sympathetic for Clary, and Magnus is just trying not to laugh.

"Alexander, dear. You really need to talk to Jace when you get home." Alec groans and hides his face in his hands.

"I know! And it's going to happen as soon as I walk in that door. I can't have Clary not feeling safe in her own home. Hell, it's more her home than mine!" Alec exclaims, which causes both Magnus and Aline to laugh.

~oOo~

Alec steps up to the door of his apartment and takes a deep breath before walking inside. He's honestly not sure if he's ever going to be ready for the discussion he's about to have with Jace, but it needs to happen. Without further delay, Alec unlocks the door and steps inside. There's a single light on in the kitchen, as well as a small lamp turned on in the living room. The house is pretty quiet, so Alec heads towards his bedroom door. He can see through the crack under the door that the tv's turned on so he knocks then opens the door when he hears a faint 'come in'.

Walking in, he sees Jace sitting in the bed, with his back against the headboard, and Game of Thrones playing on the tv. Alec sits down in his desk chair, grabs the tv remote, and shuts it off.

"So how are you feeling?" Alec asks, tentatively.

"Sore… slightly annoyed, but what can I do? Luckily I have yet to find a job since I finished culinary school last spring, so I don't have anywhere that I need to be, and avoiding our parents should be easy enough since they're in California working with one of their clients, so I don't have to explain the whole, 'why are you laid out' conversation." Jace runs his free hand through his hair, "I just want to know why my brother decided to desert us nearly six years ago." Jace's molten gold eyes are shining with anger, and Alec looks down at his hands.

"Jace… I didn't leave by choice, you have to know that," Alec began. He took a deep breath before finally saying the words that would change everything. "I was kicked out for being gay! Mom and dad told me that once I was over this 'phase', I was welcome to come back, but until then, I was on my own." Jace looks towards Alec with shock clearly showing in his features. Alec almost doesn't want to continue. He's not sure if Jace is shocked by their parents kicking him out, or if the look is because of Alec's sexuality. Then Alec proceeds to tell Jace everything that was said between Alec and his parents. How they told Alec that he was a disgrace to the Lightwood name. Then Alec told Jace about the time that he tried calling the house, hoping to talk to Jace or Izzy, then filled him in on everything that's been going on with his life.

"God Alec, I am so sorry! I was so angry with you for so long that it never even occurred to me that it wasn't your choice to leave. I feel like such an ass now!" Jace exclaims, then his facial expression changed from a look of remorse, to a look of horror, "Oh shit! I have to apologize to your roommate. She probably hates me right now!" Alec can't help but to laugh at his brothers mortification.

"What exactly did you do to Clary, anyway? She seemed pretty pissed off on the phone earlier today." Alec says, now he's finally calmed his laughter. Jace gets a sheepish look about him, which causes Alec to groan. He knows it can't be anything good.

"I may have told her that she was a dirty gold digging whore who must have a magical pussy if she was able to convince you to abandon your family the way you did… but Alec, I had no idea what was going on at all!" Alec can only look at Jace with absolute mortification. "I also advanced on her in the hallway, and basically pushed her up in a corner. I was just so angry at you… at her, I know what I did was irrational. I do feel bad, she looked so scared when I yelled at her."

"Oh god Jace! Please tell me you didn't?" No wonder Clary wanted to stay with her parents. "Ugh Jace! Something like that has happened to her before." Then Alec tells Jace all about Scott, and the way he treated Alec, and how Scott choked Clary in the hallway in their last apartment. By the time Alec finished telling the story, he can tell that Jace regrets the way he handled Clary.

"Do you think she'll forgive me? I really screwed up with her." Jace says as he runs his hand over his face.

"I'm sure she will. She knows that one, you're on drugs right now; and two, you're her best friends brother. But you might want to also apologize for the way you were treating her after you woke up from surgery." Alec adds with a laugh. Jace just looks at him with confusion. Of course he's not going to remember what all he said to her. Alec pulls out his phone and moves towards the bed. He pulls up this videos, and gently sits down next to his brother with a sly smile on his face.

" _That redheaded nurse is sssooo pretty, and sssooo nice. Doctor Morgenst… Morge… Doctor Guy whose name I can't say, isn't she sssooo pretty!" Drugged Jace says._

" _Yeah she is, she's also my sister." Jon says while trying, and failing, not to laugh._

"Wait wait wait! There's more!" Alec says as he's chuckling. Jace on the other hand is already red with embarrassment.

" _Hey Alec. How's our patent doing? Jon tells me that he's awake for now. I just need to get some vitals and do a quick pain assessment." Clary says as she walks in. "Okay Mister Herrondale, how are you feeling?"_

" _I'm fine now that you're here." Then Jace turns to Alec, "Aaaalllllleeeeccc! Can the pretty redheaded nurse give me a sponge bath? Pppplllleeeaaasseee?"_

" _O-kay, well I'm just going to take your vitals, then I'm gonna go." A very red faced Clary says._

 _As Clary is taking Jace's vitals, Jace keeps reaching his hand out to play with Clary's hair. She gently pushes his hand down every time he does that. Then Clary listens to Jace's heart._

" _Yooouuu heeear that babyyyyy, it'ssss beating like that for yooouuu," Jace slurred. At which point you see the camera shaking due to Alec's silent laughter._

" _Alec, can the pretty redhead please, please, please, suck me off?" Jace whines._

" _And I'm gonna go!" Clary says at the same time Alec loses it completely and doubles over laughing so hard. "I hate you so much right now, Alexander Gideon!" Clary shouts._

Jace looks at a hysterically laughing Alec with very wide eyes and mouth hanging open.

"Holy shit. How has she not kicked my ass by now?" Jace asks with wonder, which only causes Alec to lose it even more.

"Dude, she knows you were out of your mind while at the hospital. It wouldn't surprise me if she's heard worse from other patients. But god that was so epic. This is perfect blackmail material!" Alec exclaims. It feels good to laugh like this with Jace. It almost feels like they were never separated.

"Can we change the subject now please?" Jace whines out.

"Fine, fine. So are you seeing anyone?" Alec asks curiously.

"Hell no! I like to keep my options open. What about you?" This question sobers Alec up immediately. It must of shown on his face because Jace adds with a smirk, "Ah, I see a story coming. Come on, spill."

And Alec spills everything. All past relationships such as Scott and Adam. Then he goes on about how he and Magnus met, their first date, the way they had to hide from all of their coworkers, and everything else that's been going on with Magnus. He never thought it would be this easy to talk to Jace about guys, Izzy maybe, but not Jace.

Once Alec finishes, there's a moment of silence, Jace just looks at Alec and says, "I think you should give him a second chance. I remember the way he looked at you last night. I was confused about it at first, because I obviously had no idea what was going on there, but he looked at you like you hung the moon. Talk to him, and give your relationship another chance." Alec can't believe what he's hearing, sure Jace is a third party with no vested interest in this relationship, but can Alec really do that? Does he even want to?

"Look Alec, it's totally your call, but I can tell you care about him and it seems like he feels the same way. He told you that he's in love with you for christs sakes! But just think about it okay?" Alec nods and tells Jace that he'll think about it.

For the rest of the night, the brothers catch up with all events on the past five years, then Alec's phone chimes with a new text notification.

 _From Magnus to Alec:_

 _Hello darling, I was just thinking about you and wanted to see if everything went okay tonight._

 _From Alec to Magnus:_

 _Everythings perfect. Thanks!_

 _From Magnus to Alec:_

 _I'm so happy to hear that, I knew everything would be okay. Goodnight, Alexander._

 _From Alec to Magnus:_

 _Goodnight Magnus._

"Magnus?" Jace asks from his spot on the bed.

"How did you know?" Alec asks, but Jace just gives a shit eating grin.

"Because you're smiling like a lovestruck teenager."

"Shut up!" Alec snaps while Jace barks out in laughter.


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's the next chapter guys! Have a good weekend, and as always, please review. I love reading them and responding when I can.**

Chapter 14

The next morning, Alec wakes up to someone poking him in the ribs. He keeps trying to swat away the intruder's hand, but the incessant poking doesn't stop. "What?" Alec grumbles into his pillow, realizing that he must have fallen asleep while talking to Jace last night.

"I'm hungry, I have to take a piss, and I think your roommate is home." Jace whines. With a sigh, Alec gets up, and helps his brother get into the wheelchair, then Alec pushes Jace towards the bathroom.

"Do you need any help, or do you think you can manage on your own?" Alec reluctantly asks Jace.

"I'm good. Clary gave me one of those jugs to pee in, then I just dump it in the toilet when I'm done." Alec really doesn't have the energy this morning to correct Jace about the portable urinal. Alec wheels Jace into the bathroom and leaves so he can do his business alone. While he's waiting on Jace to finish, Alec remembers Jace saying that Clary was home. Alec forgot to text her last night, she must have cooled off enough to want to come back to the apartment.

Next Alec pushes him to the kitchen so he can start the coffee and make breakfast. "Okay, pancakes or french toast?" Alec asks.

"Pancakes!" Both Clary and Jace say in unison, causing Alec to chuckle. He didn't even hear Clary enter the kitchen. Alec turns to gather everything he needs to make the pancakes, continuing with the conversation.

"Good morning, Clary. How was work? Any patent's hit on you again?" Alec asks with a chuckle, which causes Clary to giggle in return.

"Not tonight, I think I've hit my quota after dealing with Casanova over here." Clary says with a wink, "So, how are you feeling this morning, Goldilocks? Still intent on verbally abusing me?" Clary asks. Alec's so thankful he's facing away from the two, so Jace doesn't see him trying to suppress his laugh. He's always loved Clary's sass.

"I'm more sore than I was yesterday, but I'll survive," Jace replied. Alec can hear the uncertainty in Jace's voice. "Hey Clary? I'm beyond sorry for my behavior yesterday."

"Which time? At the hospital or here?" Clary says with amusement in her voice. Alec can't help it; he doubles over, resting his forearms on the counter, and loses it. He's laughing so hard, it's making Clary lose her composure.

"It's fine Jace. I know you were so doped up you didn't know which way was up or down. As for yesterday afternoon, I just want you to know that even if what you accused me of were true, I'm not heartless enough to break up a family. And even if it was totally uncalled for, I know you were upset about the whole situation." Clary says. Alec looks towards his friend and brother just in time to see a bright smile spread over Jace's face.

"Well I am sorry. I'm not usually an asshole. And as far as those comments my brother so willingly took video of, that's really not in my nature. I have no idea what was going through my head at the time." Jace says and Clary nods in acceptance. Satisfied with Jace's apology, Alec turns back to his task at hand and starts breakfast.

"So Jace, what do you do for a living?" Clary asks, trying to break the awkward tension flowing between the two.

"I'm an unemployed Chef. I never thought it would be so difficult finding a job in New York," Jace says.

"Hey, doesn't Magnus' dad own a few restaurants around the city?" Clary asks, causing Alec to tense up.

"Uh, yeah," Alec has an uneasy feeling about where Clary is going with this. "Why do you ask?"

"Maybe you can talk to Magnus and see if his dad knows anyone looking for a chef." Clary says. Alec also sees that Jace has a smirk maring his face. At this precise moment, Alec wants to strangle Clary.

"You do realize that Magnus and I aren't together anymore right? Why would he try to do a favor for me?" Alec asks.

"Because you moron, he's trying to make up with you. What better way than to get your little brother a job," Jace says, then he turns and gives Clary a mischievous grin.

"Guys, I'm not going to extort my ex that way!" Alec exclaims. "Look, I know he's trying to make up with me, but I'm not going to use him like that. Besides, I always thought you wanted to open your own restaurant, Jace?"

"Alec, you know that he would do anything for you, why not use that to your advantage?" Clary says without giving Jace time to respond.

Alec returns with a glare and says, "Because it's wrong. The most I'd be willing to say to him is that Jace just finished culinary school. I'm not going to ask him to get you a job, Jace."

"Eh, it was worth a shot," Jace replies, nonchalantly. "And yes, I would like to open my own restaurant… someday. I don't want to do it without any real experience. I don't want my business to fail within the first year it's opened."

Alec can't really fault him for that. He turns back to continue to plate up their breakfast, completely mortified that his best friend and brother are already conspiring with each other about his lovelife. As much as Alec doesn't want to admit it, he's no longer upset with Magnus, but at the same time, he's also not sure if he's willing to get back together with him.

~oOo~

Later that day, the trio are sitting in the living room watching a movie when Jace speaks up.

"Hey Alec, how would you feel about Izzy and her fiancé coming over for dinner tonight?" Jace said.

Today is Alec's day off, and he wasn't planning on cooking. But if he's going to see Izzy for the first time in years, he doesn't want to just order take out. The prospect of seeing Izzy is as exciting as it is terrifying. 'Hold up! Did Jace just say Izzy _and_ her fiancé?'

"She's engaged?!" Alec yells out.

"Uh yeah. Some dude named Simon. They met at UCLA. He's a pretty chill dude, kinda nerdy, but he treats Izzy right, so I can't really complain about him." Jace says, and Alec sees Clary stiffen.

"Hey Jace, what's Simon's last name?" Clary says hesitantly before adding quickly. "It's just that my childhood best friend went to UCLA and he and I lost touch after our first year in school." Alec knows that she's a little sore on the subject of her former best friend. He'd ended up consoling her quite often when Simon had stopped all forms of communication with her.

"It's Lewis I think." Jace says nonchalantly, not realizing Clary's shift in mood.

"Hey, we can just ask for Izzy if it's going to be too much for you to see him, Clare." Alec says, trying to help. "I can arrange to meet this guy some other time. I'm halfway tempted to punch him in the face for completely ignoring you." Alec states with conviction.

"Am I missing something here?" Jace asks with a raised eyebrow. Alec is about to tell him about the 'Simon/Clary' drama, when Clary cuts him off.

"It's nothing, friendship just means more to me than it does to certain other people." There's nothing but venom in Clary's tone.

"O-kay." Jace says with his good hand raised in a surrender position.

"Just tell your sister they can come over." Clary says. "I'm going to go to the store and get something to make for dinner. Alec and I were planning on doing our grocery shopping today, but… yeah." Clary motions towards Jace at that comment. Alec gets up and motions for Clary to follow him in the kitchen.

"Hey, are you sure you're okay with this? I know my family situation is screwing up our plans for the day. Plus, I don't want this Simon issue to upset you more than it already has," Alec says.

"Alec, I'm fine. Simon isn't an issue, I'm over it." Alec gives her the ' _if you say so'_ look before she continues, "And as far as your family goes, I'm so happy that they're back in your life. I know how much you've missed your siblings, and I would never deny them coming over here so you can spend time with them. I love you like you're my own brother. Jace isn't terrible to be around now that he's not being an ass, and I'm sure Izzy is an amazing person as well." With a sigh, Alec drops the subject.

"Do you at least want me to go to the store with you like we planned? Jace will be fine alone for an hour or two." Alec says with worry.

"No, don't worry about it. I don't mind going alone, plus… Simon is Jewish. I think it's a great night for a pork roast." She says with a mischievous smirk. Alec can't help but to laugh at her way of getting back at Simon for dropping off the face of the earth.

"Fair enough. Just let me get my wallet and give you my debit card. It's my week to buy groceries." Alec says before turning to get his wallet from his room.

Coming back to the living room, he hands Clary his card and she heads out.

"So what's for dinner?" Jace asks.

"Pork roast, red skinned potatoes, and carrots." Alec says with a smirk that can rival Jace's.

"Uh, Alec. I hate to break it to you dude, but Simon's Jewish. He doesn't eat pork." Jace says, slightly confused. Alec laughs at Jace's confusion.

"Oh we know. Clary is doing it on purpose."

"So what happened there? You seemed pretty pissed off when I mentioned his name," Jace asks.

"Well, from what Clary has told me, she and Simon had been best friends since they were in kindergarten. They were attached at the hip, and they even took advanced classes in high school so they could graduate a year early together. From what Clary says, Simon's dream was to go to UCLA and become a Game Developer. During our freshman year, the two kept in touch constantly. Then over the summer, Simon got into this internship program for some company called Blizzard. Apparently they created this game that Simon liked so much called 'World of Warcraft', or something like that. Anyway, Clary was over the moon happy for him. All summer long he would email her, they would facetime, or Skype; but then when our second year of school started, Simon's communication with Clary became less frequent. She didn't think much of it at first, she just assumed that his workload was heavy or something, then all communication with him just stopped. No one knows why, Clary spoke to his mom, but she didn't know anything either. Then after maybe the third time she visited Simon's mom, Clary told me that something was off about her. She refused to even discuss anything involving Simon." Alec sighed, "Clary was devastated, here she thought she had a friend for life, and he just vanishes suddenly from her life."

"I think I know what happened." Jace says, Alec raises his eyebrow. "Izzy."

"What do you mean, Izzy?" Alec asks, confused.

"Izzy started at UCLA in their fashion program. When she was walking around campus looking for one of her classes, she realized that she was lost. That's how she met Simon, he saw that she was aimlessly walking around looking at her schedule, so he helped her find her class. She was on the wrong side of campus. She and Simon have been inseparable ever since." Jace explains.

"Wow… okay. Do you think Iz would really tell Simon not to speak to Clary anymore?" Alec's still a little confused. Izzy has never been the jealous type in the past, but a lot of things change over time.

"Oh god no! Izzy doesn't have a jealous bone in her body. And I highly doubt that she would ever tell someone who they can and can't be friends with. I think that Simon just assumed that she wouldn't want him talking to another girl, regardless on whether or not it's a platonic relationship," Jace takes a moment to consider, "think about it man, this guy is a major geek who managed to snag someone like Izzy. Too afraid and insecure in himself, he decides to cut ties with anyone or anything that can turn Izzy off from him. That's really the only explanation that I can come up with." They both reflect on the possible scenario, Alec can only hope that Simon acted alone in ending his friendship with Clary. He can't imagine how devastating it would be if Izzy somehow had a hand in it. He likes to think that he still knows his sister well enough to know that she isn't that shallow of a person.

~oOo~

After Clary came back from the store, Alec and Jace helped put the groceries away and they all started dinner. Alec can't seem to keep the smile off his face as he watched how well Jace and Clary worked together. Once dinner's in the oven, they're all sitting in the living room, drinking wine, and waiting on Izzy and Simon to arrive. Alec has also been texting Magnus back and forth, giving him updates on how things are going around here. Magnus is also reassuring Alec that all will be well with Izzy.

The sound of the buzzer blares through the apartment and Alec gets up to let his sister in. As soon as the door opens, Izzy throws herself at her big brother, capturing him in a hug so tight he feels like he's going to suffocate. When she finally lets go of Alec's neck, he can see unshed tears in her eyes, and a huge smile on her face. She then walks over to Jace and gives him a hug, then inspects his injuries. Once she's satisfied that he's going to live, Izzy looks over at Clary, grins, and charges towards her. Clary looks like she's going to need to defend herself, but Izzy pulls her into a hug, much like the one she gave Alec, and doesn't seem to be letting go anytime soon. Then Alec hears a choked up, "Thank you so much for taking care of my brother."

To say that everyone is speechless would be an understatement. Just then, someone clears their throat.

"Oh! Sorry... Alec, Clary; this is my fiancé, Simon Lewis. Simon, this is my big brother Alec, and his best friend Clary." Izzy says, trying to make introductions. Alec is about to respond when Clary cuts him off.

"Lewis," Clary replies curtly.

"Clare…" Simon starts looking stunned, but Izzy cuts him off.

"Wait, you two know each other? Did you guys used to date or something?" Izzy asks.

"No Izzy, nothing like that. This idiot here has been my best friend since we were five. Then shortly after he started his second year at university, he dropped off the face of the earth. So no Izzy, I used to know him, but not anymore." Izzy glares at her fiancé and raises an eyebrow.

"Uh yeah… about that. You see, when I was doing my internship at the end of my freshman year, Clary started going on and on about all of the friends she'd made, her new roommate, and everything she was doing with her family… it felt like she was leaving me behind. She didn't need me anymore so I left." Simon starts flailing his arms around, looking towards Izzy. Alec and Jace are just sitting back, watching the show. Clary and Izzy are standing side by side, having identical expressions pointed at Sherman.

"Hold up! Just because I have other friends, doesn't mean that I was pushing you out of my life, Simon. If anything, you pushed me out of yours!" Clary seethed as she walks right up to him, " _You_ were the one who stopped taking my calls. _You_ were the one who never responded to my emails. _You_ were the one who gave up on our friendship. Don't blame this on me Simon!" Clary says, poking her finger in his chest at the start of every sentence.

"Dude, how much do you want to bet that Simon is going piss himself." Jace whispers to Alec, causing Alec to fight back a laugh.

"Oh, I'm so looking forward to this shit show. Clary looks like she's ready to pounce on Smeagol, and not in a good way," Alec says, and Jace doesn't even try to hold back his laughter.

"Who knew my big brother gained a sense of humor throughout the years," Jace says, still laughing.

"Yeah, Magnus kind of rubbed off on me." To which Jace laughs even harder, gaining a confused look from his brother.

"Oh come on Alec, please tell me that innuendo was intentional?" Upon realizing what Jace is referring to, Alec loses it. He hadn't noticed the innuendo. The boys are laughing so hard at their own jokes, they completely miss the argument going on on the other side of the room until Izzy speaks up.

"Well, now that we've figured out that my fiancé's an ass, lets eat. Something smells amazing in there. Jace, did you cook?" Izzy asks.

"Hey," Simon whined at her. "Aren't you supposed to be on my side?" Izzy just beams at him, then kisses his cheek.

"It was a joint effort," Jace added.

"See, even Jace gets it," Simon grumbled at his fiancé. Izzy and Jace laugh while Simon looks sulky as everyone makes their way into the kitchen.


	16. Chapter 16

**Happy Friday everyone! Here's the next chapter.**

 **~oOo~**

Chapter 15

Everyone sits down for dinner, and as Alec and Clary are bringing everyone's dishes to the table, Alec hears Simon groan. Alec discreetly glances at Clary to see a small smirk forming on her lips, and he's biting his tongue not to laugh.

"Is there a problem, Lewis?" Clary asks in a sickly sweet voice.

"Pork Clary? Really?" Simon says with disdain.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Maybe if you kept in touch the last four years, I would have known you were coming over tonight." Clary says with a glare. Alec can sense the hostility coming off her in waves.

"Hey Simon, you might want to keep your mouth shut for a while, yeah? I haven't known Clary long, but I think she could kick your ass." Jace says looking a bit too smug. Simon just nods his head and accepts his meal.

"So Iz, Jace has been unusually tight lipped about what's been going on with you. Care to fill me in?" Alec says.

Izzy squeals which causes Clary to jump, and Jace to snicker. "Oh my god! I didn't want Jace telling you because I wanted to tell you myself. I got a job working as a designer for Calvin Klein! Simon also just had a job interview for Defiant Studios, so we're moving back to New York!" At this moment, Alec couldn't be more proud of his baby sister. Although, he wasn't aware that they weren't living here. He gets up and pulls her in a tight hug.

"I'm so proud of you Iz! When are you moving?" Alec asks.

"It won't be for another month. We leave to go back to LA in two days, but I can't leave my job at Ralph Lauren until the end of October. Simon is getting Elaine and Rebecca's help in finding an apartment for us in Manhattan," she says.

"Who's Elaine and Rebecca?" Alec asks.

"Oh Elaine is my mom, and Becca is my older sister." Simon says, only earning a scowl from Alec.

"Are you only looking for something in Manhattan, or were you looking into one of the other burrows?" Alec asks, looking back towards his sister.

"We would prefer to live in Manhattan, because that's where ours jobs will be, but Simon's family is here in Brooklyn." Izzy explains. "Also, it is more expensive to live in Manhattan, but with my salary alone, we should be able to make it work."

The rest of dinner consists of Izzy filling Alec in on what her life was like in California, what she does at her job, and what her aspirations are for when she gets experience under her belt. She also tells Alec all about meeting Simon, what they did on their first date, and how he proposed to her. Alec still doesn't like the guy, but he's happy for his sister.

~oOo~

After dinner, Jace suggests that everyone go back to the living room to continue the conversation. Clary agreed to clean the kitchen so Alec can have time with his siblings, and she swapped Jace's wine glass with a glass of water.

"Hey, what was that for?" Jace grumbles.

Clary sweetly smiles at him, "You my friend, are taking narcotics. You're not supposed to be drinking while you take them. I was being lenient on you about the two glasses you've already had, but it's water for the rest of the night." Then she walks over to the sink to start on the dishes, leaving a grumbling Jace behind with his boring water.

Alec leads everyone else into the living room. After helping Jace get comfortable on the loveseat, Alec takes the oversized chair, and Izzy and Simon take the couch. "So big brother, tell me what you've been doing for the last five years," Izzy says.

So Alec tells her about his two years in school, his ride along hours for his certification, and then he proceeds to tell her about his job and the promotion to senior paramedic. He also tells her about all of his friends, including Clary and Jon, but steers clear of Jocelyn and Valentine. He doesn't want to bring up his surrogate parents to his siblings.

"What about relationships?" Izzy asks. There is something in her tone of voice that made him feel like maybe Izzy knows more than she's letting on.

"Did Jace tell you something?" Alec asks as he shoots his brother a look that could kill.

"No," Izzy replies calmly. "Is there something to tell." Alec shifts uncomfortably in his seat. It was like Izzy knew, but at the same time, she clearly didn't.

"I didn't just leave because I wanted to," Alec begins. "I tried to contact you after, but I think mom and dad intercepted."

"I guessed it was them keeping us apart," Izzy replied. "But I couldn't figured out why."

"I told them something about me," Alec continues. "Something they couldn't accept."

"What was it Alec?" Izzy asks. "Please, no matter what it is, I just want to know."

"I'm gay," Alec says slowly after a long pause, but it was nothing compared to the pause that came after.

"Is that all?" Izzy asks, shocked.

"Yeah," Alec says with uncertainty.

"And this was the reason our parents disowned you?" Izzy adds. Alec nods. Instantly Izzy springs to action. She stands up and starts yelling profanities.

"Those bastards," Izzy snaps. "I knew that the bullshit lie they told us was just that, a lie. I just didn't know exactly why they were lying. Then every time I tried to find you, they would somehow find out what I was doing and stop me," Izzy says heatedly. "Now, tell me everything, details."

Alec glances around the room. Izzy has an eager expression, Jace looks like he's about to fall asleep, and Simon just looks anywhere he possibly can to avoid eye contact with Alec. He lets out a sigh, then tells Izzy everything from the initial conversation with their parents, them making him give up all of his credit cards and phone, them deactivating his email, and the phone call when he tried to contact his siblings. By the time he's done with his story, he has Clary curled up beside him - practically sitting on his lap - holding him like if she lets go, he will crumble to the ground. It isn't far off, Alec has never liked this topic of discussion, and Clary knows that.

"God, I hate them so much! How could they do that to you - to us - I'll never forgive them for this." Izzy explodes while poor Sampson is trying to calm her down.

"Iz, I'm over it. I have been for quite a while now." Alec says, just to try to placate his sister. She, Clary, and Jace give him identical expressions of ' _yeah, sure you are'_ , and he just lets out a frustrated sigh. "Okay fine, I'm still pissed as all hell. They suck, okay! But I have you guys, my friends, and I have the Morgensterns'. I don't need them anymore."

Jace looks at Alec with confusion, "Who are the Morgensterns'?"

"My parents," Clays says. "They practically adopted Alec when your parents kicked him out. He's been a part of our family ever since."

"Well good. I'm glad you didn't have to go through that alone Alec. That makes me feel better." Izzy says with a satisfied look about her. "Now, tell me about your love life." Izzy has a mischievous smile on her face.

"I have no love life right now." Alec deadpans, causing both Clary and Jace to laugh.

"Oh, but he could if he wanted to," Jace adds, then he and Clary collectively tell Izzy and Samuel all about Magnus, much to Alec's dismay.

"Oh Alec, you should totally give him another chance." Izzy says.

"Seriously Iz!? I would at least have thought you above all people would be in my corner here!" Alec exclaims, jumping up from his chair and nearly causing Clary to fall.

"I agree with your sister dude. He didn't blatantly cheat on you. Look at it from his perspective. He was just scared, and didn't know how to handle it. Give the guy a chance to redeem himself." Simon butts in.

"Shut it, Sherman! No one asked you." Alec says as he sits back down, maneuvering Clary in a more comfortable position. Jace snickers at Alec's blatant disregard for Simon's name.

"But as much as I think I'm going to regret saying this, Simon's right. Just give the guy a second chance." Jace unhelpfully adds.

"Ccllaaarrryyyyy! What happened to you being on my side? I thought I was your bestie? Your ride or die? What the hell happened?" Alec asks, a bit frustrated.

"Alec you are my bestie. But after I had the chance to hear Magnus out, I really do think you should consider it. I'm still pissed with how he handled the situation, but being the fact that I was able to think on it for weeks now, I understand his side of the situation. He didn't even want to kiss that woman, she's the one who pulled him down into the kiss. He never initiated anything that night. It was all her." Alec is still glaring at his 'supposed' best friend.

With a huff, Alec finally agrees, "Fine I'll _think_ about it. But that doesn't mean I'm going to go crawling back, asking him to get back together with me." This statement causes a 'whoop' from his siblings - Clary included - and Sheldon.

For the rest of the night, Clary and Izzy are chatting in a little group, while Alec, Jace, and Simon hang out and play Call of Duty on the XBox One.

~oOo~

Later that night, Alec is lying on the couch thinking about what his siblings said, so Alec decides to text him.

 _To Magnus from Alec:_

 _Hey, still awake?_

 _From Magnus to Alec:_

 _Yes, can't sleep. It's like my my body is already adjusted to our new schedule. Ridiculous!_

That causes Alec to chuckle.

 _To Magnus from Alec:_

 _Same here. Clary passed out drunk from too much wine while bonding with my sister, and Jace had to take a pain pill so he's out as well._

 _From Magnus to Alec:_

 _I take it that your get together went well then?_

 _To Magnus from Alec:  
Very well! Apparently Izzy never once believed the lie that they told them. She just didn't know why they were lying. _

_From Magnus to Alec:_

 _Your sister seems like a smart woman :-)_

 _To Magnus from Alec:_

 _That she is. Hey, so I was wondering, would you like to meet up at JJ's for coffee tomorrow?_

Alec anxiously awaits Magnus' response. He sees that Magnus has read the text, but it feels like it's taking forever for him to respond. Alec is about to text him again saying that he doesn't have to go, when Magnus finally responds.

 _From Magnus to Alec:_

 _I would love to, Alexander. What time would you like to meet? Or I can pick you up? Your choice._

Alec can't help but to feel a little giddy from Magnus' response.

 _To Magnus from Alec:_

 _How does 2pm sound? That way we can miss the lunch crowd and have time to hang out? And I can meet you there, you would have to pass by JJ's just to get to my place anyways._

 _From Magnus to Alec:_

 _Sounds perfect, darling. I'll see you then. Goodnight Alexander._

 _To Magnus from Alec:_

 _It's a date! Goodnight Magnus xx_

 **~oOo~**

 **So… things are looking up! Review and let me know what you all think. I love feedback! Have a great weekend guys.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Here's the chapter everyone's been waiting for, I've decided to post a little early this week, let me know what you think. Have a great weekend!**

Chapter 16

Magnus is freaking out. He is one hundred percent, legit, freaking the fuck out right now. Alexander wants to go out for coffee with him.

 _What does he want to say? Does he want to get back together? Oh god! What if he wants me to stop all communication with him? Alec did text saying that it was a date, that's gotta count for something, right?_ _Right?_

Magnus wasn't able to sleep at all the night before because of his freak out. He made a promise to Alexander that he would do everything he can to gain his trust back, and he's not going to give up on him. If Alec were to completely cut ties from Magnus, he wasn't sure what he'd do. Magnus couldn't picture his world without Alexander.

Magnus decides that it's time to get out of bed and face the day, that and the Chairman seems to be ready for his breakfast. Chairman Meow runs ahead of Magnus, and every time Magnus slows down, the Chairman will stop, then run back to Magnus and try to match his pace. Magnus can't help but chuckle at the fact that his cat sometimes acts like a dog. Once in the kitchen, Magnus gets the Chairman his food, then starts cutting up some fruit for himself. After fifteen minutes of picking at his breakfast, Magnus decides to take a hot shower. _Maybe that will relax me enough to no longer feel like I'm going to have a heart attack,_ Magnus thinks as he walks towards his bathroom, Chairman Meow close on his heels.

Thirty minutes later, Magnus is standing inside his closet trying to find the right thing to wear. If he thought he was nervous for their first date, that was nothing compared to how he feels now. Magnus has a feeling that there's more on the line today than there was all those months ago. He finally decides on a lavender button up shirt with white pinstripes, a cream colored cashmere v-neck sweater, dark blue bootcut jeans, and brown leather shoes and belt. Now that his outfit is picked out, he moves back to his bathroom and puts purple chalk in his hair, spikes it by up using his glitter gel, then moves on to his makeup. He uses light purple eyeshadow, black eyeliner, and mascara, giving him a smokey eye. Once he deems himself ready, and takes a deep breath to calm his nerves, Magnus grabs his phone, wallet, and keys, and heads out the door.

~oOo~

Magnus walks into JJ's and immediately sees Alec sitting at a table. Taking another deep breath, Magnus goes to join him.

"Hey. Have you been waiting long?" Magnus asks as he sits down and takes the cup that Alec offers him.

"Just sat down. I figured since I got here first, I would go ahead and order ours drinks. I hope you don't mind? I know you usually order Earl Grey with cream and sugar." Alec says. Magnus can't help but smile and nod in thanks.

"So, I was pretty surprised by your text last night…" Magnus lets the unasked question hang in the air. He's terrified of what Alec wants to talk about, so he can't bring himself to look Alec in the eye. He most definitely isn't expecting the next words out of Alec's mouth.

"I forgive you," Alec blurts out, causing Magnus to look up in surprise.

"O-okay… thanks…" Magnus says, not knowing how to respond to Alec's declaration. He is somewhere between shocked and overwhelmed, but it's a good feeling. "What made you change your mind?"

"Honestly, the night that I went home to talk to Jace… well, after we cleared the air with what my parents did, he asked me about my love life. I ended up talking about you for the rest of the night. Then when Izzy came over yesterday, Jace and Clary ended up telling her all about us. They all helped me see that you didn't do what you did intentionally. Clary also reminded me that you weren't the one who initiated the kiss, but it was that woman who did." Alec shrugs, not meeting Magnus' eyes.

"No, Alexander. I was the only person in our relationship who screwed up. You had every right to act the way you did." Magnus argues.

"I think… I think I want to give you another chance, if you'll have me? But it's still going to take some time before I fully trust you again." Alec says with uncertainty. The only thing Magnus can do is stand up, pull Alec to his feet, his left hand goes to the back of Alec's neck while his right hand grips Alec's waist, and crashes their lips together. Alec remains frozen, causing Magnus to start pulling away, but it seems that Alec recovers, sliding one arm around Magnus' neck, while the other wraps firmly around Magnus' waist. Magnus traces his tongue on Alec's bottom lip, seeking entrance. Alec immediately lets him in. The kiss is filled with passion, longing, love, and everything else that Magnus has missed being without Alec for the last three weeks. It's the most mind blowing kiss that Magnus has ever given.

Once they pull away from the kiss, Magnus looks earnestly into Alec's eyes, "Darling, I would love nothing more." Magnus says with a smile, "I will spend the rest of my life making up for what I've done to you. I love you so much, Alexander." Magnus pulls Alec back into a gentle kiss before they sit back down.

"Now, tell me all about your siblings," Magnus demands excitedly, feeling so much lighter than he has for the last few weeks. "I'm so happy they're back in your life."

"Ah, where do I start." Alec, clearly thinking on who he wants to talk about first. He's sporting a smile that Magnus has only seen on Alec's features when he speaks about Clary or Jon. "I'll start with Jace since he's easier. Jace came to us when I was eleven years old, but we've been best friends practically since birth. He's only four months younger than me. Our parents were best friends, and my parents were appointed Jace's godparents - just like Stephen and Celine were appointed mine - the night that we picked up Jace from the club, was the anniversary of their death. Every year, for as long as I can remember, Jace would disappear on that day. When we were younger, he would lock himself in his room all day, then as we got older, he would leave the house and not come back until late that night. I'm sure that's probably what he was doing that night. Anyway, when we were kids, Izzy kept trying to cook for us, because our parents were working late during the week so they could spend the weekends doing things with us, she was absolutely horrible at it. She burned everything she made, and she almost caught our kitchen on fire. If it weren't for me knowing where the fire extinguisher was located, she would have turned our house to ashes," Alec chuckles at the memory, "her putting Jace and me in the hospital with food poisoning was the last straw, and from that day on, Jace made it his mission to learn how to cook so she never would again.

"He ended up falling in love with cooking, and he was always amazing at it. Jace went to NYU and double majored in business management and culinary arts. He wants to own a restaurant of his own someday, but he's been trying to get in a kitchen somewhere to gain some experience, but he hasn't been successful at finding a job yet. I guess that's a good thing now though, due to his injuries." Alec says with a sad look that Magnus has recognized every time Alec talks about his family.

Magnus never wants to see that look on Alec's face again. He's hoping now that Alec has reconnected with his siblings, the sadness he associated with them from before will soon be replaced with joy

"You know, I could always speak to my father and see if he has any openings at one of his restaurants. It could help Jace out with the experience, and it could help him save the money he needs to open his own restaurant someday."

"Magnus, I can't ask you to do something like that. It's not your responsibility to get my brother a job. Besides, with his injuries, he's not going to be able to work for a while." Alec says with a guilty look maring his beautiful face. Magnus just shakes his head.

"If it will help him, I'm more than happy to speak to my father on his behalf. Everyone needs to start somewhere, right? And what better way to start than with a chef who owns more restaurants than he knows what to do with? And I'm sure that my dad can teach him the business side of running a restaurant until he's healed enough to work on the cooking side of things." Magnus says with a genuine smile, causing Alec to blush and let out a small laugh.

"Okay fine, but please don't feel obligated to do this for me or Jace. He'll be fine if your dad doesn't have any positions opened for him." Magnus nods in response.

"Now, tell me about your sister. She sounds amazing just from what you've told me through text."

"Well, I'm not sure if her deadly cooking skills have changed over the years or not, but I'm not exactly willing to find out." Alec says with a fond smile, "She's always been a little fashionista. When we were in high school, she would always dress me, buy my clothes, anything to make me not wear my comfortable sweaters and jeans. Luckily, I remembered a few things that she taught me about style after my parents kicked me out. Otherwise I would always dress in my ratty clothes." He shakes his head with a smile as if trying to move on from a memory.

"She ended up at her dream school, UCLA, and got her degree in something related to fashion. I can't remember what she said, but she's happy. She currently works for Ralph Lauren in LA, but she's moving back to New York next month to work for Calvin Klein.

"Her fiancé is some type of game developer or something, he interviewed for a job here as well. I'm not sure if I like him though. He treats Izzy like a queen, but he treated Clary like shit." Magnus has been so focused on watching the sparkle in Alec's blue eyes, that he feels like he's missed something.

"Did I miss something? You didn't tell me that this guy was being an asshole to Clary through our texts last night. You only mentioned that you were going to do everything in your power to call the guy every name that starts with an 'S' but his own - which is hilarious by the way - that sounds like something I would do." Magnus finishes with a smirk.

Alec throws his head back in laughter, "Oh yeah, I forgot I mentioned that!" He exclaims. "But no, it wasn't yesterday when all of this happened. As it turns out, Simon was actually Clary's best friend since childhood. Their first year in college, they were able to manage to keep in touch with each other, then our second year in school, the bastard stopped all communication with her. She was a wreck for weeks. She felt like he left her behind, or just didn't want to continue their friendship. Simon basically stopped speaking with Clary because he felt like he was the one being left behind. The dumbass decided to just stop being friends with Clary instead of just talking to her about it!" Alec explains animatedly. Magnus can't help the smile spreading over his face right now. He truly loves seeing Alec so happy.

"Wait wait wait! So the Simon guy just stopped talking to her out of nowhere?" Magnus asks incredulously. "Did Clary bother trying to reach out to him at all?"

"Yes! She tried email, text, phone, skype, and snail mail; there was nothing but radio silence on his end! When Clary confronted Simon about this yesterday, and told her why he did what he did, Izzy and Clary both looked like they wanted to rip Simon apart. Jace and I got a big kick out of it. We were taking bets to see who was going to kill him first." Alec says with a laugh. Magnus can't help but to laugh along with Alec.

"So who won that bet?" Magnus can't help but to ask.

"Honestly, Jace and I were too preoccupied with joking around, we kind of missed that argument. I do have a feeling that Izzy probably put him in his place once they left though." Alec says, the fondness for his sister shining bright.

"When do they go back to California?" Magnus asks curiously, because even though he wants to spend time with Alec, and repair the damage he's done, Magnus doesn't want to interfere with time that Alec can spend with his sister.

"They go back the day after tomorrow. I'm planning on having dinner with them tonight, and I'm having lunch with her and Jace tomorrow as well. I want to spend as much time with her as possible before she goes back." Magnus nods understandingly.

"Now I feel bad for meeting you today. You could be spending this time with her instead of me." Magnus says guiltily, while Alec is shaking his head no.

"Don't feel bad Magnus, I was the one who asked you to come today. I wanted to see you, if I didn't, I wouldn't have asked you." Alec says with sincerity in his eyes.

"As long as you're sure." Magnus says with uncertainty. Alec's eyes soften and he puts his hand over Magnus', giving a reassuring squeeze. Magnus' heart melts at the show of affection. This is the first time since they've been at the coffee shop, that Alec has initiated any physical contact with Magnus, which causes Magnus to beam up at this boyfriend. _Boyfriend! I can call Alexander my boyfriend again!_ Magnus is internally dancing in glee. At that moment, Alec's phone starts ringing. Holding up a finger, indicating to Magnus that Alec will be right back, Alec answers his phone and walks outside of the shop for a bit of privacy.

A few minutes later, Alec walks back inside. "Is everything okay?" Magnus asks.

"Yeah, that was Jace. He was wondering where I was at. I didn't realize that we've been here for over two hours already. But I do need to leave so I can start getting myself and Jace ready to meet Izzy and Simon for dinner." Nodding his head in understanding, Magnus gets up to walk Alec to his car.

Once they get to Alec's car, Magnus leans against the car and pulls Alec close. "Have fun with your siblings tonight. Give me a call when you're available, I'd rather not call and interrupt your time with them before Isabelle needs to leave." Alec nods, leans up, and gives Magnus a sweet kiss.

"I can do that. Thank you for coming out with me today." Alec says with a shy smile. Magnus returns the smile and gives Alec another kiss.

"Alexander, I'm so glad you asked, and I'm so happy that you've decided to give me another chance. I promise I won't let it go to waste." With one last kiss, Magnus pulls away, "I love you." he whispers, and heads over to his own car. Magnus knows Alec won't say it back, and he doesn't blame Alec one bit. But Magnus decides right then to tell Alec everyday that he's loved.

 **~oOo~**

 **So… after a bit of thinking, I've decided to start giving you guys a sneak peak of the next chapter (as long as I have it prewritten). There will be times, mostly due to the fact that it took me two months to get the latest chapter written, that I won't be able to give a sneak peak, and if my time frame is just too tight, I may have to start updating every other Friday. If that does happen, I will let you know ahead of time.**

 **Here is the sneak peak. I hope you all enjoy!**

" _Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself," Izzy explains._

" _Uh Iz, I thought Jace and I were going to meet you at the restaurant?"_

" _I know, and I'm sorry. I just wanted to bring some clothes over for Jace. I went to mom and dad's place and packed a suitcase for him. I figured he'd want his own clothes… no offense big brother." Again, with the sheepish look. It now occurs to Alec that Izzy realizes that she woke him up._

" _So I take it that you haven't seen my text messages and missed calls?" she asks._

" _No, you literally just woke me up. I rushed to open the door before you woke anyone else up. Clary gets pretty mean when she can't sleep in on her days off. Just remember, everyone in this house works shift work. Ours schedules are always screwed up." Izzy nods in understanding. "What time is it anyway?"_

 _Looking at her watch, Izzy says, "It's a quarter to eight."_

 _Groaning, Alec walks into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. "And here I was thinking that I would be able to sleep till ten." Alec grumbles under his breath while he makes his coffee._

" _It seems that someone is grumpy in the mornings. What happened to you, you used to be an early riser?" Izzy asks._

 _Looking thoroughly annoyed, "Again, I work shift work. My schedule changes every ninety days. I didn't go to bed till about three this morning because I'm trying to keep my schedule consistent. I usually wake up between ten and eleven, and I'm at work by four, then work a ten hour shift." Izzy winces slightly at Alec's annoyance, causing Alec to feel bad for snapping at his sister._

" _Sorry Alec. I didn't realize."_


	18. Chapter 18

**Happy Friday all! Here's the next chapter enjoy! Have a great weekend.**

Chapter 17

Alec wakes up the next morning to someone pounding on his door. Trying to reach the door quickly, so Clary and Jace don't wake up, Alec trips over the blankets from his makeshift bed on the couch and whips the door open with an irritable ' _what'_. Seeing his sister on the other side of the door, a sheepish smile on her face and a suitcase in her hand, Alec continues to stare at her confused.

"Sorry, I got a little ahead of myself," Izzy explains.

"Uh Iz, I thought Jace and I were going to meet you at the restaurant?"

"I know, and I'm sorry. I just wanted to bring some clothes over for Jace. I went to mom and dad's place and packed a suitcase for him. I figured he'd want his own clothes… no offense big brother." Again, with the sheepish look. It now occurs to Alec that Izzy realizes that she woke him up.

"So I take it that you haven't seen my text messages and missed calls?" she asks.

"No, you literally just woke me up. I rushed to open the door before you woke anyone else up. Clary gets pretty mean when she can't sleep in on her days off. Just remember, everyone in this house works shift work. Ours schedules are always screwed up." Izzy nods in understanding. "What time is it anyway?"

Looking at her watch, Izzy says, "It's a quarter to eight."

Groaning, Alec walks into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. "And here I was thinking that I would be able to sleep till ten." Alec grumbles under his breath while he makes his coffee.

"It seems that someone is grumpy in the mornings. What happened to you, you used to be an early riser?" Izzy asks.

Looking thoroughly annoyed, "Again, I work shift work. My schedule changes every ninety days. I didn't go to bed till about three this morning because I'm trying to keep my schedule consistent. I usually wake up between ten and eleven, and I'm at work by four, then work a ten hour shift." Izzy winces slightly at Alec's annoyance, causing Alec to feel bad for snapping at his sister.

"Sorry Alec. I didn't realize."

At that moment, Clary walks in the kitchen muttering under her breath, but Alec could still make out what she's saying. " _Stupid people and their stupidly annoying normal work hours, and lack of consideration about the vampires of the world who are forced to work nights."_ Clary pours herself a mug of coffee, then walks back to her bedroom.

"See, told ya. None of us like getting up early anymore. We sleep whenever we can." Alec motions towards Clary's retreating form. "And that's her being civilized. Usually she would have bitten your head off for waking her up."

"Gotcha. No coming over before ten from now on," Izzy says with a bewildered look.

"That's all we ask little sister." Alec kisses her cheek as he maneuvers to the coffee maker.

"Why in the hell are you here so early?" Jace exclaims, walking into the kitchen with his one crutch, looking just as annoyed as Alec and Clary.

"Oh my god! Does anyone wake up at a reasonable time anymore?" Izzy exclaims, just as they all hear a very annoyed ' _shut up'_ coming from Clary's closed door, causing Alec and Jace to snicker. "Ugh, I'm just going to put these clothes in your closet Alec." Izzy calls as she walks away.

"Isabelle!" Clary exclaims, "Look, I'm so happy to have met you, but would you please be quiet enough for me to go back to sleep?"

Izzy mutters, "Sorryyyyy…" under her breath while Alec and Jace try, and fail to stifle their laughter.

Alec turns back to the coffee maker, pours another cup, and hands it to Jace who's moved to the kitchen table.

"Why is she here?" Jace asks.

"She wanted to bring you some clothes over," Alec responds after taking a sip of his coffee, "and she apparently didn't want to wait to give them to you when we meet up later."

Jace nods and goes back to drinking his own cup of coffee.

Just then, Izzy walks back into the kitchen, "Alec, when did you gain a sense of style?"

Looking towards the kitchen entrance, Alec sees the puzzlement on his sister's face.

"When you would never shut up about what would look good on me," Alec shrugs, "also Clary helps me out when I absolutely need to go shopping. I still like my oversized sweaters though."

"I'm so proud of you! I love most of the clothes you have in your closet. I'm also going to be sending you clothes from now on since now I know your style." Izzy says as she hugs her brother.

"Yeah, that's not creepy at all," Alec deadpans.

"I'm a fashion designer, it's kinda my job," Izzy reminds him. "Anyway, I'm going to go run a few more errands before we meet for lunch. See you guys at noon."

Izzy hugs both her brothers and walks out of the apartment.

~oOo~

Alec and Jace get to the restaurant before Izzy. They get to their table and order their drinks while they wait for her arrival. They've only been seated for about five minutes when Izzy sits down next to Alec.

"Sorry I'm late. Elaine and I were looking at possible wedding dates," Izzy says in a way of greeting.

"Did you pick one?" Jace asks.

"Not yet. We're just considering a few as of right now. We don't want anything concrete until Simon gets a job."

"What about that interview he just had? Has Saul not heard back from that yet?" Alec asks, Jace sniggers.

"His name is Simon," Alec just waves a hand in dismissal, but Izzy keeps speaking. "and no, he hasn't."

"When will you guys be living here permanently?" Alec is excited at the prospect of seeing his siblings on a regular basis.

"We're moving into our new place on November third. We'll be here on the first, but we'll be staying with Elaine. I'm planning on shipping most of our things over ahead of time. Mom should be handling those things for me as she has already coordinated everything with the movers. She's going to put our things in storage temporarily until we move," Izzy says, "I'm just happy that we were able to find a place this quickly. Our realtor is very good."

"So Alec, do you have any plans for your birthday next week?" Jace asks, probably wanting to change the subject when noticing Alec tense up at the mention of their mother.

"No plans so far. I'm working on my actual birthday, but I'm off the day after," Alec says with a shrug.

"Maybe you and I could go out somewhere," Jace says. "I could even google a good gay bar in the area so you could get laid." Jace wiggles his eyebrows causing Alec to chuckle.

"I highly doubt Magnus would be too thrilled with that, considering I just got back together with him," Alec says with a smile and a blush.

"WHAT!" Izzy and Jace yell out at the same time. "When did this happen?" Jace asks, with just as much surprise and interest as Izzy.

"Yesterday. The other day when you guys kept telling me to give him a chance," Alec sighs when he sees expectant looks cross his siblings features, "I texted him that night asking him to meet me at Java Jones. We met, and I decided to give it another go. I still don't completely trust him and he knows that."

Izzy squeals and gives her brother a hug while telling him how happy she is and she can't wait to meet him. Jace looks pensive.

"Okay, I'll give him a chance to redeem himself," Jace says. "But if he fucks up again, I will not hesitate to beat the living hell out of him."

"Wait! I thought you wanted me to give him another chance?" Alec asks confused.

"I do, but I'm going to be sceptical of him until you know you can trust him again because I'm not going to sit around and watch some douchebag break my brothers heart," Jace says and shrugs like what he just said is no big deal, but to Alec, it definitely is.

"So why didn't you tell us at dinner last night?" Izzy questions.

"Honestly, I'm still processing it," Alec says, rubbing the back of his neck. "When he sat down and asked what made me want to meet up with him… he just had this hopeful look about him, and I just knew at that moment that you guys were right. I wanted to give him a second chance."

"Well, again, I'm happy for you Alec. All I want is to see that you're happy. If Magnus is the one to do it, then I support your decision." Izzy says with a beaming smile, Jace nods in agreement.

The siblings continue to talk while they eat their lunch, and Alec is savoring this time with Isabelle. He just got her back in his life, and it pains him to know that she's leaving so soon. He keeps reminding himself that this time it's a temporary separation, and he can also talk to her whenever he wants until she's back in New York.

~oOo~

All day, Magnus has been prancing around his loft doing various things to keep himself busy. So far he's managed to do all of his laundry, clean the entire apartment, plan out his meals for the week, and purchases a weeks worth of groceries. He's so happy that he and Alec are back together, it's as if his energy levels are endless. Even so, Magnus doesn't want to monopolize all of Alec's time since his little sister leaves tomorrow morning to go back to California for a month. Alec deserves to spend as much time with his siblings as he can after missing out on so much of each other's lives for the last five - almost six - years. Magnus can't help but to empathise with their situation.

True to his word, Magnus hasn't called or texted Alec, even though it's killing him. Last night after leaving the coffee shop, Magnus called Ragnor first to tell him the good news, as well as his parents. He also spoke to his dad about Jace needing a job. As it turns out, Magnus' dad is planning on opening yet another restaurant in Manhattan, just on the other side of the Brooklyn Bridge. Everything is still in the negotiation at the moment, but his dad does need someone to run it, as well as a head chef. Magnus couldn't wait to tell Alec that his father is willing to speak to Jace and offer him a paid internship, then possibly a position in the new restaurant. Of course, Magnus' dad isn't going to hire just anyone for the position. Jace will definitely have to prove himself, as well as prove that he can in fact cook in a restaurant style setting, and live up to ' _The Chef Asmodeus Bane Standards'_ as Magnus likes to call it. Asmodeus can rival Gordon Ramsay when it comes to how he runs his kitchens, and Jace needs to be able to deal with the pressure.

As Magnus sits down to try to find something else to occupy his time with, his phone chimes with a text notification. He _does not_ run over to his phone in hopes of Alexander being the sender. Nope, he does not. Much to his disappointment and confusion, it's a text from Clary.

 _To Magnus:_

 _So a little birdie told me that you're back together with Alec._

Slightly confused as to why she's texting him, he just responds. It's better than sitting here pining away, wishing Alec would call or text him.

 _From Magnus:_

 _I'm assuming Alexander is that little birdie?_

 _To Magnus:_

 _That he is. Listen, I'm happy that he's decided to give you another chance. It's not something that he does lightly, so please, don't screw it up._

Slightly perplexed, Magnus thinks carefully about how to respond. Clary is Alec's best friend, and he knows that he still needs to tread lightly with her.

 _From Magnus:_

 _I'm not planning on screwing things up with him again, biscuit. He's too important to me._

 _To Magnus:_

 _Good. There are also a few things that I wanted to discuss with you._

 _From Magnus:_

 _Okay. What's up?_

 _To Magnus:_

 _Well, as I'm sure you already know, Alec's birthday is on Sunday._

Magnus actually didn't know that piece of information. Alec has never broached the subject of his birthday.

 _From Magnus:_

 _Okay… what do you need me to do?_

Just because he didn't know this beforehand, doesn't mean that he won't try to do something for Alexander on Sunday.

 _To Magnus:_

 _I want to put together a small surprise party for him. Just invite my parents, Jon and Holly, and a few of his coworkers. I want to do this on Monday, because you guys will be working on his actual birthday, but as far as he's concerned, it's just going to be me, him, and Jace. I wanted to recruit your help on keeping your coworkers quiet about it. Plus I'm not sure who from the station to invite. I know he'd want Aline, Sebastian, Jordan, and you there, but I don't know who else._

 _From Magnus:_

 _I can handle that. I'll also invite Shane, Bat, Tanner, and Jamal. They're all great guys. I will have to tell them all to keep their mouths shut. Alec doesn't really care for the new kid working with Jordan, but I'm also sure Alec wouldn't want the kid to get offended if he found out that he isn't invited. So this is going to be planned for Monday, what time and where?_

Magnus definitely wants to have all of the details worked out before he starts talking to people about this tomorrow.

 _To Magnus:_

 _That's the problem. I sorta just thought about this today. Do you have any suggestions on a restaurant that we can book a private room somewhere? I had a couple of places in mind, but I need to know how many people for the party before I can book anything._

 _From Magnus:_

 _Give me a head count and I'll see what I can do._

 _To Magnus:_

 _Well on my end it'll be my parents, Jon and Holly, and Jace. Then who ever you end up inviting._

 _From Magnus:_

 _Okay, I'll talk to my dad. I'm sure he can fit us in at one of his restaurants. I'll get back to you as soon as I get in touch with him._

 _To Magnus:_

 _Thanks!_

Smiling, Magnus immediately calls his dad, explains the situation to him, and then the two of them work out all of the details. After everything is planned, he sends Clary a quick text to let her know. After a long debate with Clary, Magnus finally convinced her to let him pay for all of the arrangements, then heads out to find Alec the perfect birthday gift.

 **~oOo~**

 **Sneak Peak for chapter 18**

" _And you must be Alexander," Mr. Bane says as he reaches out to shake Alec's hand, still smiling, "Asmodeus Bane, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."_

" _You as well, Mr. Bane. Thank you so much for all of this," Alec gestures towards all of the food, "you really didn't have to go through all this trouble." Alec can practically feel the blush rising from his awkward embarrassment._

" _Oh, nonescense boy. It was nothing," Mr. Bane waves it off, "and please, call me Asmodeus. Mr. Bane is reserved only for my employees."_

 _Alec lets out a nervous chuckle, and can feel the blush still firmly in place. He wasn't prepared to meet his boyfriends father tonight. He glances over at Magnus, hoping he will come and save Alec, but alas, Magnus is in a heavy conversation with Jace. It doesn't look like they're arguing, both have smiles on their faces, but Alec wants to die now._

" _Listen, Alec," Asmodeus starts in a low voice, "I just wanted to thank you."_

 _Confused, Alec turns his attention back to Asmodeus, "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not sure I know what you're thanking me for?" It comes out like a question, and Alec wants to kick himself._

" _You forgave my son. Ann and I told him from the start not to hide who he is, but he wouldn't listen. Then when Magnus told us about what he did to you, and why you didn't show up with him for that dinner we arranged to have…" Asmodeus shakes his head, "Just... thank you."_


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey guys. Here's the next chapter. Hope you enjoy, and please, please, please review. I love getting feedback. Have a good weekend!**

Chapter 18

Alec wakes up in an exceptionally good mood. Things this week have been going very well for him. He and Magnus are starting to get back on track, work has been going well, and yesterday was Alec's birthday. Even though he had to work, his mood was in high spirits. Tonight he's going to dinner with Jace and Clary to celebrate his birthday, but in only about two hours, he's having lunch with Magnus. He didn't tell Magnus about his birthday, even though he knows he should have. He just didn't want Magnus to do something over the top. He knows that Magnus still feels guilty about the breakup, and has been trying to buy Alec's affection - more so at the beginning of the breakup than now - but Alec doesn't want that at all. He just wants an honest, opened boyfriend.

Alec hops off the couch, goes to the kitchen to brew a pot of coffee, and takes a quick shower. Izzy sent him some clothes in the mail, saying it was his birthday present and then some, so Alec promised his sister that he would wear them. He pulls out one of the outfits that Izzy bought, and puts one of them on. He can't believe that Izzy included a hand written description of each outfit, and what items go with what, but he went with it anyway. _He's a grown ass man, he knows how to dress…_

As soon as he finishes getting ready, the doorbell rings, indicating that Magnus is here to pick him up for their lunch date. He grabs his wallet and heads out to greet his boyfriend. He opens his door and his breath catches at the site of the man before him. Magnus isn't dressed in his normal glamorous attire like when they usually go out on their dates, but he looks stunning. He's wearing a light blue long sleeved Henley, tight gray skinny jeans, and a pair of Vans. He's completely makeup free, and his hair isn't up it's usual spikes or chalked. Alec kisses Magnus in greeting and they head out.

They choose to walk to one of Alec's favorite pizza restaurants since it's only a few blocks away, chatting idly. When they reach the pizza parlor, Magnus pulls the door open for Alec, causing him to blush - he really wishes he didn't blush so easily - and they make their way inside. There is no hostess, so Alec chooses a table close to the back of the restaurant, near a window. They sit down and resume the conversation they were having on the way to the pizzeria.

" ...so Jace is still stay with you guys? You look so tired, darling," Magnus says as he runs the pad of his thumb along Alec's cheek bone, right underneath his eye. Alec knows that he has bags under his eyes, sleeping on the couch isn't exactly an ideal situation.

"Yeah," Alec sighs, closing his eyes as he leans into Magnus' touch, "he asked Clary and me last night if he could stay with us for a few months to save up for his own apartment. He wants nothing to do with our parents anymore." Magnus hums in response. He knows that the subject of Alec's parents is something that Alec tries to avoid talking about, and Alec is grateful that Magnus doesn't ask him more about it.

"Are you going to let him stay in your room while he's there? That doesn't really seem fair to you," Magnus says with a tinge of sympathy in his voice.

"Oh hell no! Once he's out of that sling, and can move around more comfortably on his own, his ass is taking residence on our couch." Alec exclaims. "I miss my bed. He can share my closet, but that's it." This causes Magnus to chuckle.

"He might not be able to do that much longer, not with the way your sister seems to be sending you clothes," Magnus gestures to Alec's outfit, "I love them, by the way. I kind of want to meet her just to have her become my own personal shopper when she returns to New York next month." Alec laughs at Magnus' statement.

"I'll see what I can do," He responds with a smile. They order their pizza, eat, then head back to Alec's apartment.

"So, you're going out with Clary and Jace tonight?" Magnus asks once they reach Alec's apartment.

"Yeah, it should just be dinner, nothing else. Can I call you when I get back home?" Alec hopefully asks. He's gotten used to his nightly chats with his boyfriend over this last week.

"Of course," Magnus says as he brushes Alec's hair out of his eyes, then leans in and gives Alec a sweet, lingering kiss.

"Well, then I guess I'll talk to you tonight," Alec responds.

"I'll be waiting. I love you, Alexander," Alec leans in for another kiss, then heads up to his apartment.

~oOo~

Alec, Jace, and Clary arrive at the restaurant, which Alec is shocked to discover is Mr. Bane's restaurant. Alec stops, looks at Clary and Jace, and raises an eyebrow.

"What? I just wanted to check out the food since I start working here next week." Jace says.

"If you say so. You do realize how much this place costs, right?" Alec responds with a little uncertainty. He doesn't want Jace and Clary to go broke, just to take him out to dinner.

"Don't worry about it brother. After my interview yesterday, Asmodeus asked me when I could start, I told him that I was taking you out tonight to celebrate your birthday, and I could start tomorrow if he wanted me to, he told me to bring you here. I couldn't exactly refuse my new boss now could I?" Jace explains, "I'm coming in tomorrow to fill out paperwork and have him show me around, then we agreed that I'm going to start next week since I won't be using the crutch by then."

Alec nods his head, and Clary gives Jace - what seems to be a 'that sounds like bullshit to me' look - and they continue on their way in. Jace speaks in a low voice to the hostess, then they're lead to their seats. They pass by all of the tables, then through another door, which confuses Alec even further.

On the other side of the door, Alec notices that the Morgenstern's, all of his friends, and Magnus are there to greet him. Needless to say, Alec is a bit startled - if not a bit uncomfortable - by all of the attention suddenly on him. Jocelyn and Valentine greet him first, then Jon and Holly, next is Aline and Helen, then Sebastian, and Jordan; and finally Magnus. Oh sweet, beautiful, stunning Magnus. He's wearing a silk blue button up, black dress pants that do marvelous things to his ass. His hair is spiked and chalked in blue, and his makeup is flawless this evening. Alec would love nothing more than to take Magnus home, and have his way with him right now.

"Happy birthday, darling," Magnus says as he kisses Alec, "I'm not even going to be mad at you for forgetting to tell me that yesterday was your birthday." He finishes with a wink.

"I'm assuming that Clary was the one who let you in on that little secret?" Alec questions.

"She did, then she asked me to help organize the guest list since we work with most of your friends, then I had my dad arrange the menu and the venue," Magnus says with a smile. Alec can't help but huff out a small laugh and blush while shaking his head.

"Thank you, Magnus," Alec gives him a chaste kiss, before turning to the other guests. "It's perfect, baby." Magnus pulls Alec towards the table for him to greet the rest of the guys from work, including Chief Jeffries. Alec is surprised that the Chief came out tonight, usually he doesn't socialize with his crew.

"I didn't know you came to events like this," Alec says to the Chief as light conversation starts up.

"I'd have to be crazy to pass up a meal at 'Bane's'," Jeffries replies with a smile.

"Fair enough," Alec laughs.

"So what's with you not telling anyone about your birthday, huh Lightwood?" the chief asks.

"Just didn't want to make a fuss," Alec explains.

"Well in that case, I think you've chosen the wrong partner," Jeffries smiles, gesturing towards Magnus.

"It seems so," Alec smiles up at his boyfriend.

"Everyone deserves a fuss being made for their birthday," Magnus defends his grand romantic gesture.

Light conversation continues to carry on throughout the evening. Alec introduces Magnus to Jocelyn and Valentine. Jon not far behind, acting like a protective older brother with Holly by his side, doing what seems to be scolding Jon for his overprotective nature. Alec makes eye contact with Jon, chuckles, and rolls his eyes.

Soon the food comes out, which has Alec salivating as soon as he sees it. Alec looks towards Magnus, and can't help but to smile at his boyfriend. Magnus had his father cook his favorite meal. Steak and lobster tail, loaded baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli. Not exactly something he would expect to find in a five star restaurant, but Alec loves the sentiment. Alec pulls Magnus close to him, gives him a kiss right below his ear, and whispers, "Thank you, baby. You didn't have to do all of this, it's too much."

Magnus shakes his head 'no' and turns, then gives Alec a sweet kiss on the lips, "Anything for you, sweetheart."

At that moment, a man in a chefs jacket comes over to greet Magnus. He has a very pale complexion, dark brown hair, and eyes that match Magnus'. _This must be Mr. Bane_ , Alec thinks to himself.

"Magnus, son! How does everything look?" Mr. Bane asks his son.

"It looks great papa!" Magnus excitedly exclaims, "Thank you so much for doing this for Alexander." Mr. Bane turns his attention towards Alec and gives him a genuine smile.

"And you must be Alexander," Mr. Bane says as he reaches out to shake Alec's hand, still smiling, "Asmodeus Bane, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."

"You as well, Mr. Bane. Thank you so much for all of this," Alec gestures towards all of the food, "you really didn't have to go through all this trouble." Alec can practically feel the blush rising from his awkward embarrassment.

"Oh, nonescense boy. It was nothing," Mr. Bane waves it off, "and please, call me Asmodeus. Mr. Bane is reserved only for my employees."

Alec lets out a nervous chuckle, and can feel the blush still firmly in place. He wasn't prepared to meet his boyfriends father tonight. He glances over at Magnus, hoping he will come and save Alec, but alas, Magnus is in a heavy conversation with Jace. It doesn't look like they're arguing, both have smiles on their faces, but Alec wants to die now.

"Listen, Alec," Asmodeus starts in a low voice, "I just wanted to thank you."

Confused, Alec turns his attention back to Asmodeus, "I'm sorry, sir. I'm not sure I know what you're thanking me for?" It comes out like a question, and Alec wants to kick himself.

"You forgave my son. Ann and I told him from the start not to hide who he is, but he wouldn't listen. Then when Magnus told us about what he did to you, and why you didn't show up with him for that dinner we arranged to have…" Asmodeus shakes his head, "Just... thank you."

With that, Asmodeus walks back to the kitchen and leaves Alec standing there, stunned beyond belief. Shaking out of his thoughts, Alec sits back down next to his boyfriend. Magnus gives him a luminous smile, then pulls him into a hug and kisses his temple.

The rest of the night continues with upbeat chatter, and Alec can't help but to smile. Asmodeus eventually brought out the most amazing chocolate cake that Alec's ever put into his mouth, and claimed that 'no birthday celebration is complete without cake'. Once everyone was stuffed to the gills, they start dispersing. Chief Jeffries is the first to leave, saying that he needed to get home to his wife, followed by Jordan and Sebastian, along with the others from work. Jon and Holly left shortly after the cake, Holly looked like she was going to fall asleep at the table. Jon blames his wifes exhaustion on the baby - which is partially true - but Alec knows that Holly's been working on a new exhibit at the museum, and has been putting in way too much overtime for Alec's liking.

"Would you like to come back to my place for a little while tonight?" Magnus asks as he comes up behind Alec and embraces him, then nips Alec's earlobe. Alec can't suppress the shutter flowing over his skin.

"Sure, I just need to tell Clary and Jace," Alec responds breathily.

Alec gives Magnus a sweet kiss on the cheek, then talks to Clary and Jace. He also goes to say his goodbyes to Jocelyn and Valentine, giving them both hugs and thanking them for coming. Alec walks back to his boyfriend, and Magnus intertwines their hands as they make their way out of the restaurant.

~oOo~

Alec feels warm and loved as he arrives to his boyfriends loft. It had been such a wonderful party, full of all the people he'd really wanted to see. And now he's alone with Magnus. They take off their coats and settle in, Magnus pouring two glasses of wine.

Alec has been so wound up due to the break up and everything that came after. Tonight, Alec hadn't thought once about any of this. He'd been in the moment, and he wanted to stay present in this time and place a little longer. Setting down his glass of wine, Alec takes Magnus' face in his hands, gazing into the other man's eyes for just a moment before pulling him close to kiss him. Magnus welcomes the kiss, wrapping his arms around Alec in return. Soon Alec's hands find their way under Magnus' shirt, but it isn't until Alec starts working on the buttons of his lovers pants that Magnus pauses.

"Are you sure?" Magnus asks, pulling back slightly. "Because that isn't why I-"

"Shh," Alec says gently, understanding already what Magnus is trying to say. Alec knows that Magnus didn't plan a grand birthday party just so he could get laid - which Alec is glad of - but that doesn't change what he wants right now.

Alec kisses Magnus' neck, gently pulling his ear lobe into his mouth. Alec enjoys the hitch of breath this inspired in him. Magnus tilts his head, allowing Alec better access as he kisses farther down over the smooth muscles of Magnus' chest. Alec can feel Magnus' hands working on his own clothes, and is glad when the fabric of his shirt no longer touches his skin.

They kiss unbroken, both men fumble with each others belts, trying to release the building pressure their mutual arousals have created. As zippers go down, and pants become discarded, they both give sighs of relief. Then, it's Alec's turn to gasp as he feels Magnus' hand grip him tightly, intensifying their kiss. Magnus pumps Alec a few more times before he stops and pulls away, causing Alec to whimper at the loss of sensation.

"As much as I would love to continue this, I'd rather our first time together not be on my couch," Magnus says as he pulls Alec up and guides him to the bedroom.

Magnus lays Alec on the bed, spreads his legs apart, then rests in between them. Alec pulls Magnus back into a kiss while grinding their cocks together. Once the need for air becomes too much, Magnus detaches his lips from Alec's, then starts nipping and sucking on Alec's neck. Alec hears the bedside drawer being pulled open, presumably to get a condom and lube, while Magnus trails kisses down Alec's chest. The trail of kisses almost seem delicate, like Magnus is worshiping Alec's body, which spurs emotions that Alec isn't quite ready to face.

Magnus starts sucking on Alec's hip bone, which causes a loud moan to escape Alec's lips.

"Ngh… Mag-nus… please!" Alec begs. Magnus is so close to where Alec wants him to be, but it seems that Magnus has other ideas. Instead, Magnus hitches Alec's leg up, then starts kissing and nipping at his inner thigh. Alec hears the bottle cap opening, his cock twitches in anticipation. Magnus moves to Alec's other thigh, then traces his tongue up, and sucks at a bruising force on his other hip. Then finally, _finally_ , Magnus' mouth surrounds Alec, causing his eyes to roll in the back of his head, and his hips to jerk up. Magnus promptly moves his arm, keeping Alec from bucking his hips, then circles Alec's hole with a lubed finger before inserting.

"Oh, god Magnus!" Alec nearly bucks again as Magnus grases his prostate. Alec can feel himself hit the back of Magnus' throat, and he nearly comes undone right there. Magnus soon inserts a second, then a third finger, scisoring him, working him open.

"Magnus, baby please! I need you inside me." Alec manages to breath out, concentrating on not exploding before things really get started. Magnus releases Alec with a pop, puts on the condom, lubes up, then lines himself with Alec's entrance.

"Are you sure, darling? I don't want to do anything you aren't ready for," Magnus says with a little uncertainty.

"I'm sure. Magnus, I want this, I want you," With that, Magnus eases in, Alec lets out a deep breath to relax his muscles as Magnus gently pushes his way through. Because it had been so long since Alec has been with anyone, there is a bit of pain, but God, it feels so good to have Magnus inside him. Magnus gives Alec time to adjust, feathering him with kisses. Once he feels ready, Alec looks at Magnus and nods his head. Magnus moves in long, fluid thrusts, nearly pulling completely out each time. All of Alec's nerve endings are on fire everywhere Magnus touches him, then Magnus shifts Alec's leg up on Magnus' hip as he thrusts harder, faster, and deeper inside him. Before Alec knows what's happening, he comes harder than he's ever come before, shouting Magnus' name. Magnus thrusts a few more times, then groans out, "Alexander!"

Once both of their heart rates slow down, Magnus pulls out of Alec, disposes of the condom, then cleans Alec's chest and stomach. Alec moves so Magnus has room on the bed, they lay in a tangle of limbs, basking in the afterglow of sex. Alec can't help but marvel at the fact that Magnus got him off untouched.

"God! That was amazing, Alexander," Magnus says, his voice is muffled by the crook of Alec's neck.

"It was. That's… never happened to me before," Alec admits reluctantly. He's still trying to find the meaning of what just happened between the two of them. He's not even sure if there really is any meaning by it…

"What do you mean?" Magnus asks as he pulls Alec out of his thoughts.

"It's just that... I've never come untouched before. Usually I need some sort of stimulation when I bottom, but… you managed to hit the right spot… in just the right way… that was incredible," Alec whispers.

"Hm," Alec can feel Magnus' smile against his neck, "well, I must say, this bit of information you've just provided has given me a new goal in life," Alec moves so he can look at Magnus, but before he can question Magnus, he moves completely on top of Alec and continues, "My new life goal is to bring you to release without that extra bit of stimulation, Every. Single. Time." Magnus punctuates each word, followed by a kiss.

Alec can't help but to laugh at that. The look of mirth on Magnus' face is just priceless. Magnus brings Alec to the heights of ecstasy two more times that night. _Completely untouched._

 **~oOo~**

 **Sneak Peak for Chapter 19**

 _Magnus parks in a guest parking spot that's reserved for the apartment complex and follows Alec to the building. Alec unlocks the door and ushers Magnus in._

" _It looks like everyone is still asleep so make yourself comfortable while I sneak into my room to pack," Alec says gesturing towards the couch. The couch is situated where Magnus can still see the hallway and Alexander's bedroom door. He hears Alec opening the door, and when Magnus glances over, he can see Alec's muscles tense as he slowly closes the door and backs away. Magnus stands back up, immediately alarmed by his boyfriends behavior._

 _Alec briskly walks towards Magnus, grabs hold of his arm, and practically drags him out of the apartment._

" _Alexander, darling. What's wrong?" Magnus asks with concern._

" _I I I… I," Alexander keeps gesturing towards the door and looks at Magnus with wide eyes and ashen skin. He's really starting to worry Magnus at this point._

" _Shhh, darling. Take a deep breath and use your words," Magnus tries to sooth Alec and keep him from having a panic attack._

 _Taking a deep breath, and then another, Alec finally speaks. "My best friend and my brother are sleeping in my bed…_ naked _!" Magnus stares at his boyfriend for a moment, then busts out laughing._


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey guys! Here's the next chapter. Have a great weekend.**

Chapter 19

Magnus wakes up the next morning and stretches with a huge smile, but it falters quickly when he realizes that Alexander is no longer in his bed. Magnus reaches to the side where Alexander was laying and found that the sheets are cold. With a frustrated sigh, Magnus rolls on his back in disappointment. His thoughts start running wild. _Of course he wasn't going to stick around. Why would he? I'm not good enough to wait around for, especially someone as amazing as Alexander! We've only been back together for a week. This is ridiculous. I should have known better. I treated Alexander like shit for the first three months, then screwed things up epically the one time I should have proven myself. God! I'm such an idiot to think that Alexander could ever fall in love with someone like me. Idiot! Idiot! Idio-…_ Magnus' thoughts are halted by the door creaking open. He doesn't look, he knows it's just Chairman Meow padding his way into the room.

"Magnus? Baby, what's wrong?" It's Alec's voice. Magnus almost doesn't believe it. It's then he realizes that he's crying. Opening his eyes, Magnus sees Alec place a tray of food down on the bedside table. Alexander winces slightly as he sits down on the edge of the bed.

"I thought you left me," Magnus hiccups from his hysterical crying. Alec pulls Magnus into a bone crushing hug, trying to calm him down.

"Oh god! No baby, I just woke up early and wanted to do something for you, so I got up and made you breakfast in bed," Alec says as he runs his hand in a comforting manor up and down Magnus' back. Magnus continues to cling on to Alec - as if letting go would cause Alec to disappear for good - until he can get his emotions back in order. Once he calms down, Magnus looks up at Alec.

"I'm sorry," he whispers.

"Would you like to tell me what that was all about?" Alec asks in a soft, soothing voice. He still has an arm wrapped around Magnus.

"I just thought you left," Magnus pauses and takes a deep breath, "I wouldn't have blamed you if you had. I treated you like shit. I don't deserve you." Magnus hangs his head in shame, then feels a finger under his chin. He looks into those sapphire eyes that he's fallen hopelessly in love with, and they look so sad.

"Magnus, you never treated me like shit. Where in the world did that even come from?" Alec cups Magnus' cheeks with both of his hands, wipes the tear tracks off Magnus' cheeks, and continues, "You say that I don't deserve you, but I think it's the other way around."

Magnus can't help but stare in disbelief at Alec's incredulous statement. "Darling, there is no one more deserving than you. You're so kind, loving… loyal. There are a myriad of adjectives that I could use to describe you. You, more than anyone, deserves to have the world handed to you on a silver platter." Magnus says in ernest.

"But I was the one who kept pushing you to come out at work, knowing you weren't ready, then I basically pushed you into someone else's arms! Not only that, but I said some pretty horrible things to you out of anger. You also know my past… I'm damaged." Alec looks at Magnus, and Magnus can just see the pain in Alec's eyes… and the resolve, like Alexander still believes that what his parents and his ex said all those years ago was true.

"No Alexander! Those assholes don't get to do this to you - to us - your parents are bigoted assholes, and your ex, he was too insecure to be able to give you the healthy relationship that you deserve. I suppose I can't talk since I've also failed at doing so before, but not this time. I'm lucky enough to have that second chance with you, so I am going to prove to you that you are worth all of the love in the world! As far as what you said to me, even if it was out of anger, I deserved it for what I did to you," Magnus says adamantly.

With a sigh, Alec says, "How about this, why don't we both give each other our best selves. No more insecurities, no more doubt… just you and me." Magnus has a smile on his face and nods in agreement.

Alec encourages Magnus to move where his back is against the headboard of the bed, then picks the breakfast tray and puts it on Magnus' lap, "Now, let's get some food in you so we can decide what to do today."

Looking down at their breakfast tray Magnus sees that Alexander has made them both omelettes. There is also a cup of fresh fruit, tea for Magnus, and coffee for Alec. Magnus is, in this moment, happy that he decided to buy a coffee maker specifically for his boyfriend.

Alec grabs a fork, and cuts a piece of the omelette, then brings it towards Magnus' mouth. Magnus can't help the small giggle that escapes him at how adorable his boyfriend is being. It's strange, two grown men feeding each other, but at the same time it feels oddly intimate and right. The two continue to feed each other until their plates are empty. Once they finish, Alec puts the tray on the bedside table. Magnus curls up beside him, and Alec holds him closely. Magnus lets a contented sigh escape his lips as he relaxes into his boyfriend's arms.

Alexander kisses the top of Magnus' head, and his finger is lightly drawing circles on Magnus' arm. "What would you like to do today?" Alec asks Magnus.

"Hmm," Magnus hums as he climbs on top of Alec, "I can think of a few things that I'd like to do today. All of which include us being naked, hot, and sweaty." Magnus straddles his boyfriend, then leans down to kiss him. Magnus can feel how much his words, and the kiss is affecting Alexander. After the stress of his insecurities, and the conversation they had before breakfast, Magnus is relaxed and horny as fuck!

When they pull away for air, Magnus can see the blush rising on Alexander's cheeks, "Magnus, as much as I would love to go another round with you, I don't think my ass can take it." Alec says with a slight chuckle.

"No my love, I want to ride you this time." Magnus says as he begins trailing kisses down Alec's chest. Magnus makes sure he pays special attention to Alec's pert nipples. Magnus figured out last night that these are some sensitive spots for Alec. Magnus moves further down, and removes the jeans that Alexander must have put on when he woke up this morning, being pleasantly surprised that he's wearing nothing underneath.

Magnus pulls back up briefly so he can retrieve a condom and the bottle of lube from his nightstand. Before Magnus can do anything else, Alec pulls Magnus back on top of him, kisses him breathlessly, then while Magnus is still straddling him, he pulls Magnus up to where his knees are on either side of Alec's chest. Magnus' dick twitches at the action, he's so close to his boyfriend's mouth. Alec removes the lube and condom from Magnus' grasp, pops the top of the bottle and thoroughly lubes his fingers. Alec inserts one of his fingers in Magnus' tight opening, while his mouth descends on his erection. Magnus lets out a guttural moan and lets his head fall back. The double stimulation is almost too much for him to bear. Alec works Magnus open, and when he feels ready, he pulls Alec's fingers out, grabs the condom and lube, and slides down the length of Alec's body. Magnus places the condom on his boyfriends impressive length, and applies copious amounts of lube. Lining himself up, Magnus slowly descends until Alec is fully sheathed. Magnus gives himself enough time to adjust, then he starts to move. The sounds of skin slapping, and moans coming from the man beneath him, Magnus almost comes undone.

"God, Magnus… you feel so good!" Alec says as he matches Magnus' thrusts, "So… ngh… tight."

Magnus, unable to respond, is trying so hard at the moment not to come. Instead, he leans down and kisses Alec. Alec takes Magnus' erection in his hand and strokes him at the same speed as their thrusts.

"Fuck Alexander, I'm gonna come!" Magnus shouts out as he shoots all over Alec's chest. Two more thrusts and Alec's spilling into the condom.

Alec sits up, still sheathed inside Magnus, and pulls Magnus into a rough, passion filled kiss. When they break the kiss, Alec pulls Magnus down on the bed with him and they both let out a contented breath, not even paying attention to the mess they've made.

After a few minutes of laying on Alec's chest, listening to his heart rate steady, Magnus makes the decision to get up and clean off. "Let's shower, then I can take you back to your place for a change of clothes. I'd really like to spend the day with you." Magnus says as he pulls Alec up.

"I would like that as well," Alec responds with a lopsided smile. Magnus beams at his boyfriend and guides him into the bathroom.

In the shower, they wash each other - paying extra attention to certain areas - and end up getting each other off yet again.

Once out of the shower, they towel off, and Alec starts the search for the rest of his clothes. If Magnus had his way, Alexander would remain naked whenever he was in the apartment. _Damn, he is built like a God!_ Magnus thinks as he watches his boyfriend walk around his living room without a shirt on. Magnus continues to watch as Alec finishes dressing, then the two head out to let Alec change into clean clothes.

~oOo~

As they're driving, Magnus has his right hand firmly planted in Alec's left, and they drive in companionable silence. Magnus really wants to ask Alec something, but he isn't sure on how to go about it. Either that or he is chickening out.

"What's got you thinking so loud?" Alec asks.

"Honestly, I was wondering how I should ask you to stay the weekend with me," Magnus glances at his boyfriend when he gets to a stop light. Alec has an unreadable expression on his face so Magnus continues, "It's just… I know you've been sleeping on your couch while Jace has been taking residency in your room, and I… I thought that maybe you would like to sleep comfortably in a bed for a few days." And in a tone so low, Magnus isn't sure Alec will even be able to hear him, he adds, "It was also nice having you with me."

"That actually sounds like a great idea," Alec says, "We really haven't been able to spend a lot of quality time with each other since we've gotten back together. Having this weekend together seems like the best way to do that."

"Great! After you pack, we can go out to lunch and discuss what we're going to do for the weekend!" Magnus says enthusiastically. This feels like the happiest he's been in quite a while.

Magnus parks in a guest parking spot that's reserved for the apartment complex and follows Alec to the building. Alec unlocks the door and ushers Magnus in.

"It looks like everyone is still asleep so make yourself comfortable while I sneak into my room to pack," Alec says gesturing towards the couch. The couch is situated where Magnus can still see the hallway and Alexander's bedroom door. He hears Alec opening the door, and when Magnus glances over, he can see Alec's muscles tense as he slowly closes the door and backs away. Magnus stands back up, immediately alarmed by his boyfriends behavior.

Alec briskly walks towards Magnus, grabs hold of his arm, and practically drags him out of the apartment.

"Alexander, darling. What's wrong?" Magnus asks with concern.

"I I I… I," Alexander keeps gesturing towards the door and looks at Magnus with wide eyes and ashen skin. He's really starting to worry Magnus at this point.

"Shhh, darling. Take a deep breath and use your words," Magnus tries to sooth Alec and keep him from having a panic attack.

Taking a deep breath, and then another, Alec finally speaks. "My best friend and my brother are sleeping in my bed… _naked!_ " Magnus stares at his boyfriend for a moment, then busts out laughing.

Once he sobers up, Magnus puts a hand on each of Alec's shoulders, "Love, that's what two consenting adults do. Hell, you and I did the same thing multiple times last night, then this morning, then again in the shower. At least you didn't catch them in the act." Magnus can't help the chuckle that escapes him at the last part.

"But… but… but… ," Alec stutters, then shakes his head, like he's shaking a mental image out of his mind. "Nope, nope, nope, after lunch we're going shopping. I can't go back in there!"

Alec exclaims, causing Magnus to outright laugh at his antics.

~oOo~

 _Sneak Peak._

" _Someone seems eager to see their boyfriend," Jace says as he sneaks up behind Alec, scaring the ever living crap out of him._

" _What can I say, he just does things to me," Alec responds with a smirk once he's done with the shock of Jace's arrival._

" _Ew, dude! I don't want to know about your sex life," Jace exclaims with a shutter, causing Alec to laugh._

" _Hello, darling. What are you laughing at" Magnus asks as he approaches the door._

" _Oh nothing. Just making my brother uncomfortable," Alec teases, glaring at Jace. "I'm still trying to pay him back for making me see him and Clary naked in my bed. Are you guys ready to go?"_

" _Ah yes. Jace, you really did a number on Alec," Magnus snickers. "He was traumatized that whole weekend."_

" _Yeah, and Clary and I have apologised about that. Let it go," Jace whines._

" _No dude! You are my brother! And she may as well be. I can't unsee that!" Alec exclaims as he ushers Jace out of the apartment._


	21. Chapter 21

**Happy Wednesday all! I've decided to post this chapter tonight, I will still post the next chapter on Friday. There is a method to my madness. Enjoy!**

 **To the guest review from a couple of weeks ago asking if Alec's parents make an appearance: I am so sorry I forgot to respond to your review last week, although… I'll never tell. I'm sorry, I'm mean sometimes.**

Chapter 20

Alec is over the moon happy. Ever since he and Magnus have gotten back together, they've spent every waking moment with each other. Of course, Alec has his alone time with his family, same as Magnus, but for the most part they haven't been apart for even one full day. Each morning before work, the two of them would meet up and go to the gym together, then have lunch together. And since his birthday weekend - the first weekend Alec spent at Magnus' place - he's been staying at his boyfriend's place every weekend. Alec loves going to bed and waking up next to Magnus each day. It's even gotten to the point where he doesn't want to go back home the night before work starts.

What this really all amounts to is that Alec can no longer deny that he's in love with Magnus. The problem is when to say it out loud. Alec wants to do something special for Magnus, and he's been racking his brain trying to figure out how to go about doing so. He's considering asking his siblings for help. And he doesn't make much money, so if he wants to take Magnus to a nice restaurant, he's going to have to save up the money for it.

Today Alec is going to introduce Magnus to Izzy. He's so nervous, even though he's sure Izzy will love Magnus just as much as he does. They are going to help Izzy and Sheldon move into their new apartment. Alec confirmed about a thousand times that his parents would in fact _not_ be there. Izzy said that once they got back to California, she met their parents for lunch since they were still there on business, and cussed them up one side and down the other. Then she told them that she wanted nothing to do with them anymore. She even changed her cell number, and refused to give them her new address. Alec isn't sure that his siblings will be able to hide from their parents forever, but they're both making the effort. He still feels guilty that they are writing off their parents, just for his sake. Alec hadn't asked them to cut all ties. He'd have been fine with Izzy and Jace maintaining a relationship with mom and dad. He just won't be around when they were. The door chime goes off, interrupting Alec's thoughts. He buzzes Magnus in, then waits at the door for his arrival.

"Someone seems eager to see their boyfriend," Jace says as he sneaks up behind Alec, scaring the ever living crap out of him.

"What can I say, he just does things to me," Alec responds with a smirk once he's done with the shock of Jace's arrival.

"Ew, dude! I don't want to know about your sex life," Jace exclaims with a shutter, causing Alec to laugh.

"Hello, darling. What are you laughing at" Magnus asks as he approaches the door.

"Oh nothing. Just making my brother uncomfortable," Alec teases, glaring at Jace. "I'm still trying to pay him back for making me see him and Clary _naked_ in my bed. Are you guys ready to go?"

"Ah yes. Jace, you really did a number on Alec," Magnus snickers. "He was traumatized that whole weekend."

"Yeah, and Clary and I have apologised about that. Let it go," Jace whines.

"No dude! You are my brother! And she may as well be my sister. I can't unsee that!" Alec exclaims as he ushers Jace out of the apartment.

"So, how are things going with you and biscuit?" Magnus asks.

Jace gets a dopey, love sick smile on his face, "Great! I really think she's the one, and I feel like I've known her my whole life. When I'm with her, I can't concentrate on anything other than her, and when we're apart, she's all I ever think about."

"Since when did you turn into a sap?" Alec looks at Jace incredulously, "Whatever happened to the 'I'm never going to settle down with one person, all of this awesomeness should be shared', mentality you had in high school?"

Alec loves to tease his brother and there hadn't been this perfect an opportunity to do so in a long time.

"Hey! I grew out of that man. College was all about grades and cooking, so I didn't bother looking for a relationship." Jace says. "Now that I'm done with school and have a great job, I can put the effort into a real relationship. Plus… there's just something about Clary, you know?"

"That's great Jace. I knew you two would be perfect for each other," Alec says with a slight sigh. "You also saved me the trouble of setting you guys up." He's truly happy for his brother. He's just happy in general. Alec hasn't stopped smiling since his birthday.

~oOo~

They arrive at Izzy's apartment in time to see the furniture delivery truck pull away. The drive to Manhattan wasn't terrible, her apartment is just on the other side of the Brooklyn bridge, making it a little under a twenty minute drive. They park and head up to the door, Jace already texting Izzy to let her know that they're there. Izzy lets them in, but not without giving her brothers a huge hug. Jace lets out a very undignified squeak, probably due to Izzy squeezing his healing shoulder too hard. She lets out a frantic 'sorry'.

"And this must be the infamous Magnus. I'm Isabelle, but you may call me Izzy. It's so good to finally meet you." She says as she pulls Magnus into a hug. Alec can't help the fond look he gives his sister and boyfriend.

"It's a pleasure to meet you as well. I must congratulate you on your new job! I absolutely love fashion. You'll have to go shopping with me sometime soon. Maybe we can get your darling brother to join us as well," Magnus says as Izzy finally releases him from the bear hug she pulled him into.

"Yeah, good luck with that one. I used to have to bribe him into shopping with me. Half the time, I would just buy him clothes while I was already out, then sneak them into his closet!" Izzy exclaims, like it was some misfortune to do that for Alec. He knows that she used to love doing it. He also never complained, as long as it kept him away from shopping for hours on end. Before anyone can say anything else, someone clears their throat.

"Oh! You must be Sampson. Alec has told me all about you," Magnus says, causing Alec and Jace to snigger behind him.

"It's Simon actually," Simon has a defeated look on his face, "Anyway, why don't we get started? The moving guys already showed up, and placed the furniture where Izzy instructed, so all we have to do is get the boxes unpacked." He paused, glancing at Jace's injured arm. "Um… Jace… uh… I guess you can do whatever. Watch maybe?"

"I can still help. I can't lift the boxes, but I can take shit out of them though," Jace gives an annoyed huff.

"Hm, okay. I guess you can help me unpack our clothes," Simon gestures Jace to follow him back to their bedroom.

"Fine. But I'm not touching your underwear, and I'm sure as shit not touching Izzy's!" This causes everyone to laugh.

Once Simon and Jace leave the room, Izzy turns to face Alec and Magnus, "Okay guys," she says as she claps her hands together, "Magnus, you seem to know about fashion, does that extend to interior design?"

"Darling, of course it does! You should see my loft. I decorated it myself!" Magnus exclaims. Alec isn't sure how he feels about Magnus calling his sister 'darling' though. He assumed that pet name was reserved for himself.

"Good, you can help me out here in the living room, and Alec, why don't you unpack the kitchen?" Alec nods, kisses his boyfriend on the cheek and whispers 'good luck', then heads to the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, Alec starts with the opening of boxes and moving of things. His smile grows even more when he can hear his sister and boyfriend chatting away out in the living room. In this moment, he doesn't understand why he was so nervous about them meeting. They have so much in common and it wouldn't surprise Alec one bit if they ended up best friends before dinner. Alec finishes in the kitchen, and receives more instructions from his sister before continuing the task.

After six long hours of unpacking, Izzy's place looks like home. Izzy offers to cook dinner for everyone, but after a resounding 'NO' from the entire group, they end up ordering Chinese take out. To explain the loud no, Magnus is treated to more horror stories about Izzy's cooking.

"Magnus, don't listen to my brothers. I wasn't that bad of a cook," Izzy says as she folds her arms across her chest and pouts.

"Babe, you know I love you, but there is a reason why I do all the cooking in this relationship," Simon speaks up. Alec, Magnus, and Jace have identical expressions on their face, clearly not believing that Simon actually had the balls to say that. Alec chances a glance at Isabelle, and what he sees scares the shit out of him! Izzy's face turns beet red. She was clearly furious. It was almost as if you can see an unadulterated anger flaring in her eyes. Needless to say, she looks like she's about to explode.

"Dude! You just got yourself thrown into the dog house!" Jace states, rather smug. Alec lets out an exasperated sigh at his brothers comment. Jace is definitely not helping the situation at all.

"Okay!" Magnus says, clearly trying to defuse the tension, "Isabelle, please tell me more about your job. I'd love to hear more about it." This seems to make Iz happy, judging by the elated expression that suddenly replaced her angry one. In no time at all, Izzy is happily talking about her job, and the tension is dispelled. Alec isn't naive enough to think that his sister forgot the dumbass statement that her dumbass fiance made, but at least his boyfriend knows how to get her mind off of it for a little while.

~oOo~

Back at Alec's apartment, Jace makes a hasty exit to give Alec and Magnus some privacy. Alec scoops Magnus into his arms and gives his boyfriend a kiss that is probably too hot and heavy for the public.

"I know its a work night, but if you'd like, I could always go home with you tonight," Alec says as he looks lovingly at his boyfriend.

"Oh… uh… um… ," Magnus stutters, confusing his boyfriend as to why he seems so nervous, "To-tonight's not a good night. Maybe another night?" Magnus seems to be acting strange all of a sudden. Alec's not sure what happened, and is a little scared to find out.

"Oh, okay then, I guess I'll see you in the morning," Alec says, then leans in to give Magnus a kiss. Magnus moves, causing Alec to miss his lips completely and kisses his chin.

"Magnus, is everything okay?" Alec couldn't help asking.

"Yeah. I'm just tired I guess." Alec doesn't believe him, but chooses to let it go tonight.

"Well go home and get some sleep," Alec says smiling, though a little awkwardly. "Please text me when you get there so I know you made it home safe," Magnus just nods and starts walking to his car. Alec watches him drive away. With a sigh he heads upstairs, his mind going through all of the events from today, trying to figure out what caused Magnus' mood to shift so abruptly.

~oOo~

The next morning, Alec wakes up to a text from Magnus saying that he needed to cancel their morning plans, and he would see him at work. Disappointed, Alec gets up and goes about his usual routine before heading into work. His workout isn't up to his usual standards, but he's been thrown off kilter because of Magnus' odd behavior.

At work, Alec is waiting for Magnus to arrive, but he doesn't until it's time to start their morning inspections. When they complete that, Magnus goes and talks to some of the other guys for a while. Taking the hint, Alec heads off to do his own thing. He ends up tidying up around the station, dusting the furniture in the common room, sweeping the floors, and picking up random magazines and books lying around, then sets them neatly on tables. After that, he talks to Jordan for a while. The friends haven't really spoken one on one in a few weeks, so it's nice being able to catch up with him. Finally, Alec sits down with a book that he's been trying to read for the last week.

Six hours into his shift and it's been a very slow day. They haven't received a single call from dispatch. Alec isn't making any headway with his book, as he's been glancing at Magnus all day. Something seems very wrong with his boyfriend and it's worrying him. To anyone else, it looks like Magnus is reading, but as he hasn't turned the page once, and Alec is certain he is making great progress with book, more than Magnus is.

Finally Alec can't stand it anymore. He walks over to his boyfriend, and gently touches his arm to get Magnus's attention.

"What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours?" Alec asks concerned.

To Alec's great surprise, Magnus's yells back, "Why are you still being so distant?"

Alec can't help but flinch a little before replying. "Magnus, what are you talking about? We we see each other every single day, I stay at your place every weekend. I even offered to stay last night, but you said it wasn't a good night, then cancelled on me this morning! How is that me being distant from you?" Alec managed to bite back the remark that for the last 24 hours it's been more like Magnus is being distant from him! He couldn't help the defensive responses Magnus' anger has created in him.

Magnus takes a deep breath, and looks around to see if the other guys noticed his outburst, which thankfully, they didn't. Then he speaks. " _You_ said that we need to give each other our best selves, and you're still holding back! _You_ were the one who said we needed to stop with the insecurities, and _you_ were the one who said we shouldn't doubt each other, and yet, _you_ are the only person in this relationship who won't let go of the past!"

"I… I don't understand," Alec says.

"Alec," Magnus says with an exasperated sigh. Then after a moments silence, as if he's choosing his next words carefully, Magnus continues. "Okay, yes, you've introduced me to your family, and yes we've spent one night letting them get to know me, but you never invite me to go out with you and your siblings. I know Jace has been to your family dinner's with the Morgensterns' numerous times, and I'm sure Izzy will be joining in with all of you once she's more settled in, but, you never invite me to go with you." Magnus pauses for a moment, then adds, "I invite you to go out with Ragnor and myself, and you never come. I also have been trying to get you to come over for my family dinners and you make excuses. I feel like you don't care enough about me to add me into the life that you have with your family. I also feel that you want no part of my family."

Before Alec can say anything to refute Magnus' claims, and before he can do more than stare in disbelief, dispatch comes across the radio.

"Dispatch to all medics. Report to a gang fight in the Greenwood Heights district. SWAT team is en route and will allow entrance once they give the All Clear. Proceed with caution. I repeat… dispatch to all medics. Report to a gang fight in the Greenwood Heights district. SWAT team is en route and will allow entrance once they give the All Clear. Proceed with caution."

Alec looks at Magnus, and gives him a look filled with the emotions they haven't the time to express before they head to the ambulance.

"Medic unit 14 to dispatch. We are on our way," Aline calls through the radio.

"Go ahead 14. Remember to use caution and wait for the all clear." Dispatch responds.

~oOo~

They arrive on scene within minutes of leaving the station. Aline knows all of the fastest routes within Brooklyn, and she uses that to her advantage. NYPD are parked about two city blocks away from the actual scene, and the group waits until they get the green light. Alec also notices about four more ambulances waiting to see what they need to do to help. The tension in the ambulance is palpable, and Alec is sure that even Aline knows that something's up with Alec and Magnus. Alec can see her eyeing them in the rearview mirror.

As they wait, Alec can't help but to go over the argument in his head. Was he still holding back? Still being distant? He didn't think he was, but Magnus wasn't lying. Alec wasn't ready to have family dinners, or go out with his friends. It's just that they spend so much time with each other, Alec assumed that Magnus would want some time apart. Alec has been avoiding going out with Ragnor again, because frankly, he's a scary motherfucker! Alec knows that he's caused unnecessary heartbreak for Magnus during their breakup, so he's been avoiding Ragnor so he wouldn't get the third degree. He knows that it's the cowardly way out, but he was at least hoping to gain some more time before being faced with Magnus' best friend. As for the whole family dinner thing, Alec and Magnus took three months to get to that point in their relationship the first time around, he thought it would take just as long to get back to that point. He wasn't doing these things intentionally, he just didn't want to rush. Now he feels like an ass! Alec glances in the rearview mirror and sees that Aline is still staring at him, she opens her mouth to say something, but gets cut off by a member of the SWAT team letting them know that they have the All Clear. Alec glances out the window and sees the other vehicles entering in the barricaded area.

The trio get out of the ambulance with the gourney, and are directed over to a gunshot victim by a police officer. A police officer Alec knew, and hoped very much never to see again. It has been a little over a year and a half since he's last seen Adam. He still looks the same; same sandy blond hair, and stormy gray eyes, but when Alec looks at him, he can't help but to compare how plain Adam looks compared to Magnus. Adam informs them that the victim is actually one of the gang leaders, and his injury is to his left thigh. Alec immediately assesses the damage, confirms that the bullet is still lodged into the leg, and starts applying a tourniquet to stunt the bleeding while he wraps the wound. Magnus helps Alec put the patient on the stretcher, then Adam cuffs him to the railing and reads the patient his Miranda Rights.

They load the stretcher in the back of the ambulance, but all the while, Alec is thinking about things with Magnus. Aline walks around to the driver's seat and Adam is given enough room to guard the patient. Last Alec climbs in and starts to close the doors.

Alec hears the loud bang before he resistors the cause. He knows that sound well. A gun has been fired. It isn't until he can feel the sharp pain in his upper abdomen that Alec puts two and two together. As if it is happening to someone else, Alec feels himself fall. He hits something hard and cold and then his world goes black.

 **~oOo~**

 **The next chapter is going to leave off where this one ends. Sorry… not sorry for the cliffhanger ;-P**

 _Sneak Peek_

" _Magnus! I can't find a pulse!" Aline yells out._

" _Start chest compressions!" As soon as Aline starts the compressions, more blood starts coming out of the wound, despite the amount of pressure Magnus is applying._

" _Stop stop stop! He's losing too much blood. Just do mouth to mouth!" Magnus is trembling at this point. He's practically at the point of hysteria. He can't lose his Alexander. As he works on Alec, he feels like he's going through an out of body experience. He knows that he's doing everything he can in order to keep pressure on the wound, but it still doesn't seem real._


	22. Chapter 22

**See, I'm mean, but I'm not** _ **THAT**_ **mean. That's why I wasn't going to make you guys wait an entire week for the next chapter** **Francesca** **. I couldn't PM you directly to reply to your review lol.**

 **FoveverAReader17: I couldn't help but laugh when I read your review of the last chapter this morning. Usually I would PM you, but I knew I was going to update again this morning, I figured I would just reach out to you now. But Alec and Magnus' communication sucks, doesn't it! As far as who shot Alec, you're literally going to find out in this chapter so I don't want to give anything away. And as always, thank you so much for your kind review. I hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 **Enjoy this chapter, and hopefully you guys aren't too pissed at me lol. Happy Friday all!**

Chapter 21

Magnus immediately tries to jump up to help Alec close the doors, but the police officer holds him back. Magnus calls out Alec's name, but he doesn't get a response. He hears a lot of shouting, and guns firing off in the distance, and then there's silence. The officer sitting across from Magnus radios in to one of the other officers on the scene to find out what's going on. "There was a gang member hiding. He fired off a round, trying to get a hit on one of the other officers, but he missed. We don't know where the bullet hit, but we've apprehended the assailant and he's in cuffs now."

Upon hearing that, all of the blood rushes out of Magnus' head, and a feeling of dread seeps into him. He jumps out of the ambulance and sees Alec face down on the ground with blood pooling around him.

"Call for another medic! Alec's been shot!" Magnus shouts into the ambulance. He grabs the first aid bag, flips Alec over, and sees that there's a gunshot wound in Alec's abdomen. He immediately applies pressure, and yells for Aline to come help stabilize him until another medic unit arrives.

"Magnus! I can't find a pulse!" Aline yells out.

"Start chest compressions!" As soon as Aline starts the compressions, more blood starts coming out of the wound, despite the amount of pressure Magnus is applying.

"Stop stop stop! He's losing too much blood. Just do mouth to mouth!" Magnus is trembling at this point. He's practically at the point of hysteria. He can't lose his Alexander. As he works on Alec, he feels like he's going through an out of body experience. He knows that he's doing everything he can in order to keep pressure on the wound, but it still doesn't seem real.

At this point, the other ambulance arrives. Aline is informing them what happened, while Magnus swiftly moves aside to let the other paramedic handle Alec. He knows that in his current state, they can help more than he can. They rush him off to the hospital, and alone with the patient that wasn't Alec. Magnus still feels numb inside. This isn't real. This can't be happening to Alec. Magnus must be having a bad dream.

On the way, Magnus is monitoring their patient while Aline is on the phone to Chief Jeffries to let him know about Alec.

"So you must be Alec's new partner." The officer says to Magnus, pulling him away from this thoughts.

"Have you worked with Alec before now?" Magnus asks confused, "And yes, I started working with Alec back in May."

The officer chuckles and shakes his head, "No, I've never worked with Alec before, and I don't mean 'partner' as in work partner. I mean 'partner' as in boyfriend." The officer stretches his hand, "My names Adam Barke, I dated Alec for almost two years." Magnus continues to look at the mans hand, and then the recognition clicks. He's the closet case! He quickly glances at the mans hand and sees a wedding ring firmly in place.

"Ah yes, I do know who you are. How's the wife you use to keep up appearances? Still fucking men on the side?" Magnus snears. He is not in the mood to deal with this shit right now. It's already taking all of his willpower not to break his professionalism and crumble into the emotional mess he is inside. But this guy is acting like nothing has happened, like they're meeting in a completely mundane way, like they just stumbled upon each other at a grocery store, or coffee shop. Alexander is in a different ambulance at this very moment, and his stupid ex doesn't even seem to care about the fact that Alec could be dying for all they know!

"Uh… yeah… ," Officer douche clearly doesn't know how to respond to Magnus' snark. Magnus would have grinned in satisfaction at burning Alec's ex, but he can't bring himself to care at the moment. .

"I guess it's a good thing Alexander didn't propose like he was planning on doing. Lightwood-Barke just sounds too cliché," Magnus says with an air of arrogance. Magnus really can't believe this asshole. All Magnus is trying to do, is keep his composure in check long enough to get this guy and the patient to the hospital, so Magnus can focus solely on Alec and his condition.

"Woah! He lets you call him Alexander?" Cop Douche Nozzle asks in surprise, not even catching on to the insult Magnus just threw his way.

"Yes, why does that matter?" Magnus can't help but ask. He's been calling Alec, 'Alexander' since the day they met. Granted, he did say that he prefers Alec, but he's never once corrected Magnus when he'd refused to comply. In fact, if Magnus can recall, he said that he liked that Magnus calls him Alexander.

They pull up the the Emergency Room doors and Magnus hops out of his seat. "Well this is your stop, I'll pull the gurney out and you can follow behind Aline and I." Magnus says as he's getting out of the ambulance. He gives the report to the ER doctor as they head to a trauma bay. After the patient transport is complete, doctor Loss comes running up to Magnus.

"Thank God you're here! He's in surgery now, I can take you to the waiting area. Clary and Jocelyn are already there." She says. Magnus looks over to Aline, and realizes that he needs to help her get the gurney back in the ambulance before he can do anything else. Doctor Loss appears to be reading his thoughts, tells him to go ahead and she'll wait for him to finish.

"I spoke to Chief. He said to leave you here with Alec while I take the ambulance back. He's already called the PRN crew in and they're waiting. We're on temporary leave until we know more about what's going on with Alec." Aline says as they walk.

"Thanks Aline, I owe you one." Magnus sighs in relief.

"You owe me nothing. I'll be back in about an hour or so. I'm not leaving one of my two best friends alone right now." She nudges Magnus and gives him a hug, then hops in the ambulance and takes off.

Magnus rushes back in the hospital, and goes straight to doctor Loss, "What's his condition?"

"Honey, the only thing I know so far is that the bullet nicked his lung, causing a partial collapse. Based on the location, I have to assume that it hit the pancreas, but I don't know for sure. Valentine insisted on being one of the surgeons to assist with the surgery." Magnus nods as they round the corner to the surgical waiting room.

Doctor Loss opens the door and ushers Magnus in. As soon as Jocelyn and Clary see him, they rush over and pull him into a hug. That's all it takes for Magnus' professional walls to crumble down around him. Now all Magnus can see is Alec's body lying in a pool of blood. Then there's the guilt, the last words spoken to Alexander, were done out of anger.

"Has anyone called Jace or Izzy?" Magnus says after he calms down.

"I called Jace. He's at the restaurant. I think your dad offered to give him a ride up here. Jace told me that he was going to call Izzy." No sooner had the words left Clary's lips, Izzy appears, rushing in, closely followed by Jace and Magnus' dad.

"What happened? Where's my brother? Who did this?" Izzy yells.

"Isabelle, honey, he's in surgery right now. We'll know more when it's over," Jocelyn says in a calming tone.

"How did something like this even happen?" Jace asks. His voice is calm, but Magnus doesn't have to be a genius to see that Jace is on the verge of a breakdown. He knows the emotions hiding on Jace's face, for they are the same ones in his heart. It feels like one more crack and Magnus will crumble.

"We got a call about a gang fight. When they told us that the area was safe, we went in and did what we had to do. We got the patient in the ambulance. I was already inside and Alexander was about to close the doors when a gunshot went off," Magnus takes a shaky breath and stares at the tile floor of the waiting room. "The officer held me back so I wouldn't be exposed. At first, I thought Alec went to the side of the ambulance to keep out of the line of fire, but when they said they caught the guy, that's… that's when… I… found… him!"

Everyone is so stunned. There was total silence, as if no one knew how to reply. Magnus, Izzy, Jocelyn, and Clary are all sniffling by the time Jace speaks up, "I thought they were supposed to have the area fully secured before they let emergency personnel on the scene."

"They are, which is why none of us were expecting to get shot. NYPD didn't exactly do their job thoroughly," Magnus says, voice laced with anger.

Magnus finally looks up at all of the people he's surrounded with. Jace has his good arm wrapped around Izzy. Clary and Jocelyn are still wrapped around Magnus, and Asmodeus is standing on the other side of Jocelyn typing away on his phone. Magnus can only assume he's texting mother. Magnus lets out a sigh and rests his head on top of Clary's as they all take a seat.

The only thing they can do now is wait…

~oOo~

Aline arrived about an hour after Jace and Izzy, and about forty-five minutes after that, Jon walks into the waiting room. At this point there hasn't been any more news on Alec's condition, and Magnus' anxiety continues to climb.

"I just left the surgical pavilion, and they've gotten all of the bullet fragments out of him. Apparently they used a hollow point bullet. It messed him up pretty bad. The pulmonologist is working on getting the lung closed up, then they're going to set up to remove the head of his pancreas. They've already closed the nick in the liver," Jon says as he hugs his mother. Jocelyn nods in response. Magnus can tell there are a million scenarios running through her mind - with her also being a doctor - but he has no idea on why she hasn't vocalized any of them. This doesn't leave Magnus with much confidence in Alexander's outcome.

"All we can do is wait," Jocelyn says after a moments silence.

"I'm going to the cafeteria for some coffee, would anyone else like some?" Asmodeus asks. Everyone else in the group accepts the offer absently, but Magnus remains quiet.

"Son?" Asmodeus looks expectantly at Magnus, all he can do is shake his head in response. Asmodeus leaves the room.

Magnus has so many thoughts running through his head. They're still consumed with the argument they'd had before the call. Did he overreact? He just wants to be apart of Alexander's whole life, rather than glimpsing a small part of it. The more he thinks about it, the more regret seeps into his soul. He's praying to every God known to man that Alexander will make it out of surgery alive.

Asmodeus returns, hands full of coffee and begins to hand them out. Magnus smiles gratefully to his father when he too gets one. Magnus has never been much of a coffee drinker, but right now, the coffee makes him feel closer to Alec.

Another two hours pass before Valentine finally enters the waiting room. He's still in his surgical scrubs, and has a grim expression marring his features. Magnus sucks in a breath, waiting for news.

"He's in stable but critical condition now. We're keeping him in the ICU for at least the next five days. It would have been a simple procedure if it were just a regular bullet, but the hollow point made a mess of quite a few of his organs," Valentine starts somburly, but is interrupted by Isabelle.

"What is a hollow point bullet? Why is it so much worse than a regular one?" She asks, clinging onto Jace for support.

"A lead bullet has one entry site and stays intact, causing damage to the intended target. A hollow point bullet may be bladed or sectioned, with a cone shaped cavity in the center of the nose. When the bullet meets resistance, the head of the bullet releases, putting shards all throughout the area, which in turn causes more damage than a single lead bullet," Valentine patiently explains. "We had to remove his gallbladder, the head of his pancreas, as well as small portion of his small intestine - due to the extent of damage that was caused - and parts of the bullet lodged into his lung, which is why you couldn't do chest compressions on him," he says towards Magnus who nods.

"The shards also nicked his liver, and the damage was irreparable," Valentine continued. "We had to remove a small portion of the liver as well. We need to keep him for roughly four to five days to monitor his liver function, and make sure he doesn't go into liver failure. We're keeping him heavily sedated for the next twenty-four to forty-eight hours so he can rest easily while he heals, but you all can go in and see him if you'd like. Just no more than two people at a time please. He's in a private room, but it is very small."

Magnus releases the breath that he's been holding. It feels like he's in a tunnel. Everyone around him is discussing the order in which they are going to visit him, and Magnus can't help but feel like he's in a terrible nightmare. It still doesn't feel like this is happening to him. Are they really all standing around talking about who gets to visit Alec's hospital bed? Any minute, Alexander will walk in from some ward with a smile on his face, laughing at how silly they were all being. Then Magnus's mind was filled with an image, and it's Alec's lifeless body laying on the ground next to him.

The first two going in are Izzy and Jace, naturally since they are his siblings. Then Jon and Clary, then Jocelyn and Valentine, and finally Magnus and Aline. It takes about forty-five minutes before Aline and Magnus get to go in, and Magnus isn't even sure if he wants to see his boyfriend. He's too ashamed of his behavior from earlier in the evening.

"You better get your ass in there to see him," Aline says as they stand outside of his door. Magnus looks at her with pleading eyes. "Magnus, yes you two had a fight, but none of us had any idea this would happen. You need to be strong for him, he's stable, but that could change. You _need_ to see him. If you want, I'll go in first." How can Magnus argue with that logic, right? Aline gives him a hug, then disappears into the room.

Five minutes later, Aline walks out and Magnus takes her place. Looking down at Alexander, Magnus' tears come back at full force. Alec's so pale and lifeless laying in the hospital bed. Magnus laces his hand with Alec's - the hand that's not hooked up to the IV - and he feels so cold! With Magnus' other hand, he runs his fingers through Alec's hair, much like the way he does when he watches Alexander sleep at night.

"Oh, sweetheart. Please be okay. I'm so sorry for fighting with you today. None of that matters to me. I just want you to be okay," Magnus says.

He continues to cry and hold his love. It feels like he's going through some of the stages of grief as he sits here with Alec's life still so uncertain. He's already gone through denial, and bargaining. He's also so angry; angry at himself for the way he treated Alec before the inciped phone call, but most of all, he's angry that this even happened in the first place. But Magnus has no choice but to accept the fact that this has happened. This isn't a nightmare, this is real life. Alec is lying here, his body trying to heal from the damage that was caused to it. The hardest thing about the situation, is that there is absolutely nothing that Magnus can do. He just gets to sit here and wait. He's not even sure how much time passes when there's a knock on the door. Magnus glances up for a moment to see Valentine walk in with a pillow and a blanket.

"Here Magnus," he says kindly, holding up the blanket. "I thought that you would want to stay with him tonight. The chair reclines so it'll be a little more comfortable for you."

"I thought that maybe one of his siblings would want to stay with him," Magnus says, without looking at Valentine.

"No, everyone thinks it would be best for you to stay. You're the one he's in love with afterall." At those words, Magnus looks up so fast that his neck cracks.

"What do you mean? He's never said that to me," Magnus says too quickly, cringing at how vulnerable his voice sounds.

"Son, just because he's never said it, doesn't make it any less true. I've known Alec for a long time - I dare say that I know him as well as I know my other two children - and he does love you," Valentine carefully sits on Alec's bed and glances at his surrogate son. Then he turns to look Magnus in the eye. "Alec has had a rough go of things ever since his parents kicked him out. He doesn't love easily. In fact, I still don't think he believes me or my wife when we tell him that we love him. He is our son, blood or no blood, and he will always be our son. So when I tell you that I know he loves you, know that it's the truth. I see it when he talks about you, and I saw the way he looked at you on his birthday. It may take him a while to admit it out loud, but be patient with him. He'll say it sooner rather than later." With that, Valentine pats Magnus' shoulder and leaves the room.

Magnus just sits there and thinks about what Valentine just told him. Now he feels even worse about their argument earlier that day. If he had more patience, the argument never would have happened. He knew everything Valentine had said about Alexander, and yet, he still managed to push him. _I truly am the worst human being in the world. I never should have said what I did today. I was being so insensitive._ Magnus sighs and lays his head next to Alexander's chest on the bed. The reassuring beeping of the machines comfort him, as does the gentle thumping of his lover's heart.

Magnus finally starts to feel the weight of the stress and emotions from today. It's so heavy, that within seconds, it feels like he can pass out with exhaustion.

Instead, Magnus stands up, kisses Alexander's forehead, and whisper in his ear, "I love you darling. Please come back to me."

 **~oOo~**

 **More medical terminology! The sneak peak for the next chapter is below the definitions.**

 **PRN means "As needed"**

 **Partial Collapse of a lung -** **refers to a condition in which the space between the wall of the chest cavity and the lung itself fills with air, causing all or a portion of the lung to collapse. Air usually enters this space, called the pleural space, through an injury to the chest wall or a hole in the lung.**

 **Head of the Pancreas -** **found in the right side of abdomen, nestled in the curve of the duodenum**

 **Duodenum -** **the first part of the small intestine immediately beyond the stomach**

 **Stable but Critical Condition -** **means that someone who is severely ill or injured but their condition is not deteriorating at the moment. In other words, doctors cannot predict what will happen, but the patient is very ill/injured.**

 **ICU - Intensive Care Unit; designated area of a hospital facility that is dedicated to the care of patients who are seriously ill/injured.**

 **Gallbladder -** **the small sac-shaped organ beneath the liver, in which bile is stored after secretion by the liver and before release into the intestine.**

 _Sneak Peek:_

 _He nods his head, and drinks it slower this time. "Why am I here? What happened?" Alec asks now that he's had more water. He looks up at Camille and she has a look of understanding of his confused state._

" _Well sweetie, three days ago, you were shot. From my understanding, you were one of the medics who responded to that gang shooting, and there was someone hiding." She says._

 _Alec looks down at his hands and thinks about what she told him, the next thing he knows, his memories are rushing back to him. His fight with Magnus, going to the scene, then the pain and the darkness._

" _Honey, I know it's a lot to take in," Camille says as she places a reassuring hand on Alec's shoulder. Knowing who Camille is, he's having a really hard time hating her. She's been nothing but nice to him ever since she walked into his room._


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys. Thought you'd enjoy the next chapter today. I'll post chapter 23 on Friday, then my updates will go back to once a week on Friday's. Enjoy and don't forget to review!**

Chapter 22

 _Beep… Beep… Beep…_ Alec groans, wondering why his alarm clock sounds like it's running very low on battery power; it's beeping so slow! He tries to open his eyes, but quickly closes them due to the brightness of the room. With his eyes still closed, he starts to feel a burning pain in his abdomen. He raises his hand to rub his stomach, when he feels a pulling sensation on his right hand.

 _Huh, that's odd,_ Alec thinks as he slowly opens his eyes.

It takes him a few minutes, blinking rapidly to make his eyes adjust to the light, when he realizes he's in a hospital bed. Looking around, he notices that he's all alone. Why is he even in a hospital?

Pushing the Call button on the side of the bed, a blond woman with green eyes walks in. He quickly recognises her as the woman Magnus went off with at the bar all those months ago.

"Ah, Mr. Lightwood. It's nice to see you among the living," She says in a southern accent, giving him a friendly smile. "My name is Camille, but you can call me Cam if you like. I'm going to be your nurse for the next five days." Alec nods in response. His throat feels like there's sand stuck in it, so he doesn't even attempt to try to speak.

Camille checks all of his vitals, then reaches over to the table beside his bed and pours some water in a styrofoam cup. "Here you go sweetie. I'm sure you're thirsty." Camille says as she hands him the cup.

He gives her a closed lipped smile, then starts drinking. He hasn't realized just how thirsty he is until the cup is nearly empty. "Thank you," Alec hands the cup back to her, and she fills it again.

"This time drink a bit slower. You've had nothing in your stomach for the last seventy-two hours, so we don't want you throwing up, okay." Camille hands the cup back to Alec, filled of water once again.

He nods his head, and drinks it slower this time. "Why am I here? What happened?" Alec asks now that he's had more water. He looks up at Camille and she has on a look of understanding.

"Well sweetie, three days ago, you were shot. From my understanding, you were one of the medics who responded to that gang shooting, and there was someone hiding." She says.

Alec looks down at his hands and thinks about what she told him, the next thing he knows, his memories are rushing back to him. His fight with Magnus, going to the scene, then the pain and the darkness.

"Honey, I know it's a lot to take in," Camille says as she places a reassuring hand on Alec's shoulder. Knowing who Camille is, he's having a really hard time hating her. She's been nothing but nice to him ever since she walked into his room.

Just then, the door opens revealing Magnus. He looks like hell, Alec observes as he walks into the room, eyes casts down.

"Magnus," Camille says, with venom laced in there. _Hm, what is that about? Did he miss something in his unconscious state?_

"Hello Camille," Magnus responds sounding completely defeated. Alec can't stand to see his boyfriend sound like that.

"Hey Magnus," Alec says, voice still a bit scratchy. Magnus' head whips up towards Alec, and his facial features go from what looks like heartbreak, to utter happiness.

"Alexander!" Magnus says as he rushes over to the bed, "God, how long have you been awake?"

"I don't know, maybe ten minutes," Alec looks over towards Camille for confirmation. She nods her head.

"I'm going to go let the doctors know that you're awake. Call if you need anything before then, okay sweetie." With that, Camille leaves the two alone.

Once the door closes, Alec looks up at Magnus, "I am so sorry Magnus."

"Alexander, what on earth do you have to be sorry for? You were the one who got shot and almost died!" Magnus exclaims, not without looking a bit surprised by Alec's statement.

"Magnus, I'm talking about our argument - if we could even call it that - I didn't even know I was doing all of that. I thought things between us were great. I had no idea that I was pushing you away, or that you even felt like I was." Alec says, eyes downcast and shame laced in his words.

"Sweetheart, I'm not even worried about that anymore. It doesn't matter." Magnus says, lifting Alec's face so he could look him in the eyes. There is so much adoring affection shining in Magnus' eyes that Alec can't hold it in any longer.

"I love you, Magnus. I am so, hopelessly in love with you," Alec says earnestly. "Can you please forgive my idiocy?"

Magnus surges forward, but not before Alec notices unshed tears in Magnus' eyes, then he pulls Alec in for a searing kiss. Closing his eyes, he savors the taste that can only be described as Magnus. Fireworks are lighting up behind Alec's eyelids, and quickly, he hears his heart monitor speeding up. Unfortunately, this causes the medical staff to rush into his room. Magnus and Alec separate at the intrusion, Alec feeling his face heat up, and by the looks of it, Magnus is blushing as well.

Looking at the medical staff, Alec sees Camille with Valentine, and two other people he doesn't know. Valentine looks at the two with a knowing smirk, and is silently laughing. Camille looks slightly embarrassed, and the other two people look a bit annoyed.

"Well," Valentine continues to stare at the pair, "It seems that we just barged in on my son's little reunion with his boyfriend." He still smirking at Alec and Magnus. "But since we're all here, this will have to continue later boys."

Magnus gets off the bed, and Alec immediately feels the loss.

"Alec, these are my colleagues, Doctor Hanson, your pulmonologist, and Doctor Barber, your hepatologist." Valentine introduces the doctors to Alec.

 _Why in the hell do I have a liver specialist now?_ he thinks.

Alec realizes he must have said that out loud due to the chuckles from everyone except for Magnus.

"Son, that bullet did some pretty extensive damage. It nicked your lung, causing it to partially collapse. The bullet also damaged, and caused us to remove part of your liver and pancreas. There are some things we need to go over with you, would you like to be alone, or is it okay for Magnus to stay in the room while we discuss things?" Valentine asks, he looks like he's in pain over the things he is about to say. Alec definitely doesn't want to be alone right now, even if his surrogate father is in the room with him.

"He can stay," Alec says quickly.

Valentine nods his head and clears his throat. "Okay. As I said, it nicked your right lung. There was significant damage to a small portion of your liver, causing us to remove that part of the liver. We also had to remove your gallbladder, the head of your pancreas, and part of your small intestine." Valentine sighs, and runs his hand over his face. "Honestly son, we're lucky you're alive. Due to the blood loss, and the fact that we couldn't get you to breath on your own, you flatlined on the table." Alec hears Magnus sucking in a breath at that statement, "You scared the shit out of me kid." Valentine finishes. He walks over to Alec and pulls him into a hug. When they pull apart, Alec can see the emotions running across his face. There is fear, sadness, grief, and last there's hope. Alec knows that Valentine and Jocelyn love him, and consider him as a son, but seeing it there in black and white was something else entirely. Alec knows that he unintentionally put them through hell when he got shot. This causes Alec to harbor an immense amount of guilt. Granted he obviously didn't do this on purpose, but he knows what it's like to lose someone you love, and he's saddened by the thought of causing such pain to his family.

Next, doctor Barber starts, "Now, due to the amount of damage sustained to your organs, we have to put you on some dietary restrictions. You no longer have a gallbladder, and part of the pancreas and liver that we removed will cause you to not process certain foods the way you used to. I am going to be monitoring your liver function closely for the next year. I need you to come to my office, starting off, once a week for the next month, then once every other week for the next two months after that. Once I deem you risk free of liver failure, I'm going to monitor you once a month for one year. For the rest of your stay here in the hospital, I will be checking in on you daily. Do you understand so far?" Alec nods his head. It's a lot to take in, but this is how it's going to have to be from now on. "We're also going to test you regularly for diabetes. You're at a much greater risk due to the fact that we removed part of the pancreas. Now, you seem like a very healthy person, so I'm hoping that you will stick to your dietary restrictions without complaint. And once you're cleared to do so, I want you to exercise on a regular basis." Again, Alec nods. Little does doctor Barber know, Alec has… had a daily workout routine. Before Alec can voice this, Valentine speaks up.

"Alec won't have a problem with the exercise. He is very compliant with his workout routine," Valentine says. He looks to Alec knowingly, and says "Which of course is going to have to change for a while." Alec chuckles at his dad, then immediately clutches his stomach.

Once the pain recedes Alec looks at the doctors in front of him, "Yeah, I workout daily. And usually once a week I kickbox with Jon and Clary." Alec sucks in a stained breath because his stomach is still killing him from laughing, and continues, "What are my restrictions and how long until I'm healed?"

"At least six to eight weeks is going to be your recovery time. If it were a simple laparoscopic procedure then it wouldn't be as long, but because we had to cut you open, the recovery time will be longer. Camille will give you that information, along with your dietary restrictions when you check out of the hospital, unless you wish to have them sooner." Doctor Barber says, and Alec nods in understanding.

"Now, if you don't have anymore questions for Doctor Barber or your father, I would like to run through some breathing exercises with you. I need to gauge how your lung is healing." Doctor Hanson says.

Doctor Hanson makes Alec do breathing exercises that hurt like a bitch! It feels like he's breathing fire or something. Doctor Hanson instructs Alec on how to do them, then Alec continues to do them without complaint. Once they complete the exercises, and Alec knows what he's supposed to be doing on his own, as well as the timeframes to do them, Doctor Hanson proceeds to give Camille instructions on what signs and symptoms he wants her to check for. Because of the surgery, Alec is at a higher risk for catching pneumonia, and he needs to do a few breathing treatments in order to prevent that from happening.

"You did great Alec, I'm pleased to see just how strong your lungs are. Keep doing the exercises. Camille will give you a timetable on when to do them." Doctor Hanson shakes Alec's hand, the left one that doesn't have an IV in it, and leaves his room. Doctor Barber does the same with Camille on his heels leaving Valentine and Magnus with Alec.

"Magnus, do you mind if I speak to my son alone please?" Valentine asks. Alec is a little weary of leaving Magnus alone right now after hearing his reaction to Alec's near death. Alec knows that Magnus needs the same amount of comfort that Alec himself needs.

"Of course, sir." Magnus walks over, kisses Alec on the top of his head, and leaves the room, leaving Alec feeling a little awkward. He knows Valentine wants to have a serious conversation, but he has no idea what it's about. The last time they had this type of conversation was when he broke things off with Adam.

"Alec, you need to tell that boy how you feel about him." Valentine starts, Alec is truly confused by what he's saying. It must have shown on his features because Valentine chuckles and continues to speak, "He has been in this room since you were brought in. I'm not sure what's going on with you two, but from the looks of it, it seems like it's very serious. You need to let him in completely. I know that life has been throwing curveball after curveball, but I really don't think he's going anywhere. This is just my perspective as an outsider, but I believe Magnus is irrevocably in love with you." Valentine pauses, looking like he's thinking of what he wants to say next, "I know you two haven't been dating long at all, but please just let yourself be happy and be in love. You only get one life Alec, don't be afraid to live in the present just because your past has royally fucked you." Alec can't help the small laugh that escapes him. Valentine rarely cusses, but when he does, it's pretty amusing.

"Thanks dad." Alec sees the pleasantly surprised look that crosses Valentine's face. As many times that Valentine has told Alec to call him dad, he just didn't feel right by doing so… until now, "But I did tell Magnus how I feel. That's kind of why you caught us in our 'reunion' as I think you put it." Alec slightly doubles over in pain from laughing, Valentine is laughing right along with him though.

Once Valentine sobers up, he looks at Alec fondly, "Just open your heart kid. I have a feeling that Magnus is worth it. Now, I need to get back to work, and you need to spend time with your boyfriend." Valentine stands up, gives Alec another hug, "I love you, kid." Then heads towards the door.

Before he can get too far, Alec calls out for him, Valentine turns around, "I love you too, dad." Valentine smiles and nods, then heads out the door.

A few seconds go by and Magnus is back in the room. He walks straight over to Alec, lays beside him on the bed, and gently pulls him in for a kiss. The kiss is filled with so much love and emotion, that it brings them both to tears. When they end the kiss, Alec and Magnus wipe each others tears away, then they laugh at the simultaneous action. Of course, Alec has to ruin the moment by groaning in pain from laughing.

"I see that we need to keep you from laughing," Magnus sobers quickly at Alec's pain. "I can't believe I almost lost you, darling." Another tear runs down Magnus' cheek, and Alec is quick to wipe it away.

"I'm so sorry I worried you so much, baby." Magnus' face softens as he leans forward and kisses Alec's forehead.

"As I've said before, it wasn't your fault, sweetheart. None of us knew that the area wasn't safe for us to be in. It easily could have been myself or Aline that got shot that night." Magnus is right of course, Alec didn't really think about the fact that if the shooter chose to attack just a minute or two earlier, it very well could have been any of them.

"I didn't really think about that until just now, I don't know what I would have done if it had been you." Alec admits. "All I know is that I would be a basketcase."

"I know the feeling," Magnus smiles back. Then he snuggles closer to Alec, keeping in mind of his injury. Alec glances at the clock, realizing that Magnus should be at work by now, "Hey babe, why are you here?"

Magnus sits up with a hurt expression, Alec quickly starts to explain, "It's just that your shift is starting in about five minutes! It's not that I don't want you here, I'm just worried that you're missing work." This seems to calm Magnus down a bit.

"Aline and I are on leave until you're cleared for work. In fact, I called Chief while Doctor Morgenstern was in with you to let him know that you're awake." Magnus lays back down beside Alec and takes Alec's hand in his, "He's planning on visiting when he gets off shift."

"Hm, m-kay." Alec says, suddenly feeling exhausted. He doesn't want to sleep though, he knows that he still wants to talk to Magnus about the fight. He doesn't want this to sit on the backburner. He was able to get a second chance at life, and he wants to fix his issues, no matter what they are.

"Sleep darling. You can take a nap, then once you're more rested we can do whatever you want to do… within reason since… well, yeah." Magnus motions around the room. Alec can't help but to notice just how exhausted Magnus looks as well.

"I want you to nap with me, you look like you're barely awake too," Alec says sleepily, brushing the pad of his thumb over the dark circles under Magnus' eye. Magnus gives Alec a chaste kiss and agrees.

"I love you so much." Alec mumbles before sleep can consume him.

~oOo~

 _Sneak Peek_

" _So, tell me what's up with the hostility my nurse has towards you."_

 _Magnus looks pained before sighing. "Well, that's Camille… the one I kind of cheated on you with."_

" _Nope! It wasn't cheating. You didn't kiss her, she kissed you, and she thought you were straight. We're passed that remember." Alec says quickly and Magnus gives him a grateful smile._

" _And that's just it. She thought I was straight and single. She was pretty pissed off when she saw me here with you. She asked if you were the same boyfriend, and when I confirmed, she slapped me and told me that I don't deserve you, then she said that her parents raised her better than to become some 'two bit whore who messes around with unavailable men'. She also told me that she was going to tell you everything that happened because you deserve to know." Magnus runs his hands over his face, "When I told her that you knew already, it didn't make her less grumpy so she slapped me."_


	24. Chapter 24

**Happy Friday all! I hope you enjoy this chapter. Remember, I'm going back to updating once a week from this point on. Have a great weekend, and don't forget to review. Love you all!**

 **And a special thanks to and Clockworks' Angel for adding me to their Malec Communities. Thank you guys! That means a lot to me.**

Chapter 23

As Alec wakes from his nap, he can feel Magnus' fingers gently moving through his hair. Alec keeps his eyes closed, but sighs in content as he snuggles closer to his lover.

"Did you sleep at all?" Alec mumbles the question, basking in the comfort of his boyfriends arms.

"I slept a bit." Magnus murmurs as he continues to stroke Alec's hair. "I can't stop thinking about what Valentine said… about you flatlining on the table."

Alec slowly sits up so he can see his boyfriend's face. "Magnus," he says, cupping Magnus' cheek, "Sleep, don't worry about me. I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

Magnus turns his head and kisses Alec's palm. "I know, it's just… when I found you, I thought I was going to lose you forever. As I was treating you, it was like this out of body experience. I knew I was going through the motions, but it just didn't seem real."

Alec looks at Magnus, then pulls him in for a kiss. It's slow, filled with love and sorrow. He never wants Magnus to feel that way again. When they pull apart, Magnus looks like he's going to cry.

"Lets not think about that right now, okay. Instead I want to talk about our fight," Alec says, but Magnus is shaking his head no.

"Yes," Alec says firmly. "Our communication sucks! We need to talk about this, and we need to tell each other how we feel. Otherwise, the same thing is going to continue to happen over and over again."

"Alexander," Magnus sighs. "I was being an ass. I didn't think about you, and I was being insensitive to your past. I know you have a hard time trusting people, and I pushed you. I overreacted, and for that, I am so so sorry."

"But that's the thing. I didn't know you felt that way. I thought everything was going great, maybe even better than before. I had no idea that you were harboring all of those thoughts. Before our breakup, it took us months to be ready to meet each other's families. It didn't occur to me that we were going to pick up right where we left off. I assumed that we were starting over."

Alec paused for breath before continuing. "And yes, I did have some reservations about meeting your parents. I know I've met your father already, but that was in a social setting. Meeting them for a family dinner is completely foreign to me. I've never done the whole 'meet the parents' thing before. Then there's Ragnor. That man scares the shit out of me! And I've been a coward about going out with the two of you. I know I broke your heart when we broke up, and I felt like I couldn't face him. And as far as my family goes, yes I've let you meet and spend time with my siblings, but when it comes to my parents… uh, the Morgensterns', I felt that if I had you join in on our dinners, I was setting myself up for further disappointment for when you eventually end things with me." By the time Alec finishes his speech, Magnus is looking at him with wide eyes which doesn't lessen Alec's fears.

"Oh sweetheart, I'm so sorry that I didn't speak to you about this before I blew it up," Magnus says as he rests his forehead against Alec's. "First, let me just say that Ragnor was totally Team Alec. He gave me the same riot act that everyone else did." Magnus chuckles and Alec can't help but smile. "I also didn't know about your insecurities around meeting my parents. Hell, when I told them about what happened with us, they told me that I was an idiot. But at the same time, had I known how you were feeling, I would have done all that I could to ease your fears. The same thing goes for joining your family dinners. And finally, if you haven't noticed yet, I'm completely in love with you. I'm not going anywhere."

"I love you too. So, so much," Alec gives Magnus a chaste kiss on the lips. "But from now on, can we please start communicating better? I promise to voice my fears and insecurities, and I hope that you will tell me if I'm doing something that bothers you. I kinda don't like feeling like a confused idiot." Magnus laughs at that, then agrees.

"Now! Moving on to other subjects. I can't believe you wanted to marry Officer douche nozzle!" Magnus exclaims, causing Alec to double over in laughter, then immediately double further forward in pain. "Shit! Crap! God! I am so sorry, Alexander. I didn't mean to make you laugh!"

"It's okay baby. I know you didn't mean to." Alec sees the worry on Magnus' face but continues, "I'm a little surprised that he said anything to you."

"Well he asked how long we've been partners, I automatically assumed he was referring to our work relationship, then he clarified and asked how long we've been together. Then he introduced himself to me and I got pissed! Here I was, wondering what the hell was going on with you, and he's just talking like we were having tea! But it took me a minute to realize who he was, and I think I said something along the lines of 'how's your wife, are you still fucking men on the side' and then I think I broke him, because he couldn't form a coherent sentence after that." Alec is trying harder than he ever has before not to laugh at his boyfriend's story. The only thing keeping him from losing it is the fact that he knows it'll hurt like hell if he does.

"Well, he is a douche. I still can't believe that his wife, married him." Alec says shaking his head, then pauses for a moment. "So, tell me what's up with the hostility my nurse has towards you."

Magnus looks pained before sighing. "Well, that's Camille… the one I kind of cheated on you with."

"Nope! It wasn't cheating. You didn't kiss her, she kissed you, and she thought you were straight. We're passed that remember." Alec says quickly and Magnus gives him a grateful smile.

"And that's just it. She thought I was straight and single. She was pretty pissed off when she saw me here with you. She asked if you were the same boyfriend, and when I confirmed, she slapped me and told me that I don't deserve you, then she said that her parents raised her better than to become some 'two bit whore who messes around with unavailable men'. She also told me that she was going to tell you everything that happened because you deserve to know." Magnus runs his hands over his face, "When I told her that you knew already, it didn't make her less grumpy so she slapped me."

"She slapped you!" Alec exclaims. "Baby, I am so sorry. When she walked in here this morning, my first thought was to hate her, but I just couldn't do it. She didn't know what our situation was. Then she was so kind, and I kind of found it hard to hate her. I'll apologise to her as well."

"Why on earth would you do that?" Magnus asks.

"Because she was innocent in all of this. I don't even think she saw me that night at the bar. Even if she did, she had no way of knowing that we were together." In all honestly, Alec really doesn't know why if feels the need to apologise. Maybe it's just the fact that she seems like such a sweet, southern girl. She's living in New York, but he doesn't know what her story is. She just seems too sweet and innocent for the city. Maybe it's the brother in him that feels like he should protect this young woman.

"Darling, you can do whatever you want." Magnus says as he kisses Alec's forehead as if he's placating Alec.

"Mags! I feel like you're agreeing with me, just for the sake of it. Tell me the truth. We just had this conversation." Alec says exasperated.

"Mags… only my mother calls me that. It sounds weird when you say it." Magnus crinkles his nose in disgust. Alec can't help but find it adorable. "I don't know why you want to apologise, it obviously wasn't your fault, nor was it hers. But honestly, I know you, and I know you have a heart of gold. If you'd like to apologise, by all means do so."

"Thank you, baby. And I won't call you Mags anymore. I was trying for a pet name, but _that_ even sounded weird to me." Alec kisses Magnus on the nose, because when his nose is all crinkled it's just too adorable for words.

Alec, still feeling tired, cuddles back up with Magnus and Magnus just chuckles and lets Alec get comfortable. They sit in comfortable silence for a little while, then there's a knock on the door, and in pops Camille's head. She has a smile on her face as she asks if can can come in, and Alec waves her in. He knows it's time for his next breathing treatment and he's not looking forward to it.

"Ready for some more treatment, sweetie?" She asks in her cheerful voice. Alec groans, but nods anyways. "I know it's painful, but we need to strengthen that lung again."

"I know. It just feels like I'm breathing fire when I take deep breaths,and when I laugh, it feels like someone is stabbing me in the gut." Alec whines. Camille laughs but agrees with him. At that moment, Magnus' phone rings.

"That's my mom. I'm just going to step out and take it." Magnus says as he heads out the room.

"So… sweetie, I'm not sure if you know this… and I don't mean to upset you, but I want to let you know that I am sorry… " Camille starts, but Alec, knowing what she's apologising for, interrupts her.

"Don't worry about it. Magnus was partially in the closet at the time, and he just tried a little too hard when he was keeping his secret. Did it suck to sit there and watch him walk away with you? Yes, it actually hurt like hell. He also took it too far; I won't tell you his backstory, because it's not mine to share, but Magnus went through a lot at his old job. He panicked, but none of that was your fault. I'm not upset with you." Alec says. He does feel better after getting that off his chest. "Just go easy on him, yeah? I forgave him, and we've moved past it. Please do the same."

"Well Alec Lightwood, you're just sweeter than cherry pie!" Camille exclaims happily. Alec has no idea what that means, but he thinks it's a good thing… he also can't help the blush that rises in his cheeks. "I'm just gonna take your advice and let bygones be bygones."

"So where are you originally from, Camille?" Alec can't help but ask because of her accent, and the weird phrases she's using.

"I'm born, bred, and raised in Savannah Georgia, honey." She says as she starts working with him on his breathing treatment.

After he catches his breath he asks, "What made you decide to come to New York?"

"Well sugar, I came here with my fiancé, then he cheated on me and broke my heart." She suddenly looks like a kicked puppy, "If I didn't love working here, I would move back home. But I just love New York too much to leave."

"I'm sorry that happened to you, Camille." Alec understands what she's going through. He also understands why she was so upset with Magnus. She didn't want to cause someone else the same heartache that she is going through.

"It's okay sweetie, I'm getting over it. I told him to take care of his eyes because they are the only balls he has." She says with such sass. Alec can't help but to like this feisty woman more and more, but he mustn't laugh. He has to keep clutching his side when he fails to stop himself from laughing.

At that moment, Magnus walks back into the room. He sees Alec clutching his side with tears in his eyes. "Alexander, what happened?" He then turns to Camille angrily, "What did you do to him?"

"Oh relax Magnus, she just made me laugh telling me about an ex of hers." Alec says while Camille glares daggers at Magnus' accusation.

"I just don't want you to hurt, darling. It pains me to see you like this." Magnus says, running his hand down Alec's back.

"I know, and I love you for that." Alec kisses Magnus.

"Well, sweetie, we're done for this round. I'll be back shortly with your lunch." Camille says, then leaves the room.

"So, how's your mom?" Alec asks.

"She's good…" Magnus looks like he's holding out on something he wants to say, Alec nudges him, encouraging him to say what he wants. "She is bringing me some more clothes. I told her to text me when she gets here so I can meet her in the lobby."

"Why doesn't she come up to the room?"

"I didn't want to make you uncomfortable." Magnus mumbles, which causes Alec's heart to constrict.

"Text her now, tell her the room number. I'd like to meet her." Alec says. He needs to stop letting his own insecurities get in his way, especially since it seems to be rubbing off on Magnus. He hates seeing Magnus looking so unsure. Usually Magnus exudes confidence, and this version of Magnus is truly heartbreaking. Right then, Alec vows to build Magnus' confidence back up.

~oOo~

About an hour has passed, and Alec is finally getting lunch… if you want to call it lunch. Camille basically handed him a tray of chicken broth and a cup of jello.

"Ugh, I can't wait till I'm able to eat solid food again. I'm going to waste away on this shit." Alec says with a look of disgust. This reaction causes Magnus and Camille to chuckle. "Yeah, that's right. Laugh at my pain."

"Sweetheart, this is just temporary. You heard what Doctor Barber said." Magnus says, obviously trying to cheer him up.

"He's not the one who's going to be starving to death though," Alec petulantly mutters under his breath. This just causes Magnus to chuckle.

"I know it's not much, sweetie. But Magnus is right, this is just temporary. Once we see that your stomach can handle the broth for the next few meals, then we can upgrade you to semi-soft foods, then to solids," Camille tells Alec.

"Great, so not only am I missing a few parts of my organs, but I've suddenly become a toddler." Alec says, voice dripping in sarcasm. "Wonderful."

Camille pats his arm in a comforting manner, "It's just temporary. Once the diapers come off, you'll be all grown up!" She says in a mocking tone. Alec glares.

"You know, I liked you an hour ago. What happened?" Camille only laughs at this.

"Oh, sugar. I've gotta keep you on your toes." She says, still laughing at his pain. "I've got to add some sass in every once in a while."

Alec just scowles as she walks out of the room.

"It's not forever, Alexander." Magnus says, trying to comfort him. Alec just huffs, then proceeds to eat… er, drink his meal. Once he's finished, there's yet another knock on the door, and a beautiful woman with Asian features peeks her head in.

"Hi Mags, is this a good time?" The woman, presumably Magnus' mother asks.

"Ibu! Come on in." Magnus exclaims. Mrs. Bane smiles and moves into the room with a duffle bag. "Mom, this is Alexander, Alexander, this is my mom."

"It's a pleasure to meet you Mrs. Bane." Alec says, Mrs. Bane puts her hand out for him to shake. Since Alec still has the IV stuck in his right hand, he reaches with his left hand, then kisses her hand in a way of greeting. Mrs. Bane giggles at his action.

"Such a gentleman, Alexander. And please, call me Annisa, or Ann." She says with a sad smile. "I do wish we had met under better circumstances though. I'm so sorry that I have to meet you in a hospital bed."

"It's okay Mrs… Ann. And please, call me Alec. Very few people call me Alexander." He says, looking towards Magnus.

"Hey! You've never complained!" Magnus pouts. "You've even told me that you love it when I call you Alexander."

"That I do. You _are_ one of the few people who I don't mind calling me by my full name." Alec winks, causing Annisa to giggle once more.

"You two are rather adorable." Annisa says, then looks at Alec, "I do hope that we will be able to get the chance to get to know one another here in the near future, Alec. I've been looking forward to meeting the man who had made my son so happy."

Alec nods his head, and feels the blush creeping up in his cheeks. "Yes ma'am. I would like that. Maybe once I'm released from this place, I would love to get together."

Annisa beams at the statement, "I would like that very much." She then turns to Magnus, "Sweetheart, here are your things. If you like I can take your other bag with me and wash your clothes."

Magnus nods and gets up to exchange bags with his mother. She says her goodbyes, kisses Magnus on the cheek, then kisses Alec on the head and exits the room.

Alec must endure a few more breathing treatments before his day is done. Then a myriad of visitors interrupt his alone time with Magnus. Eventually when everyone is gone for the evening, Magnus snuggles next to Alec on the bed. They share lazy, languid kisses and declarations of love, then Alec drifts off to sleep with a smile on his face.

~oOo~

 _Sneak Peek_

" _We can put the boxes over here for now. I'll organize and find a home for everything later." Magnus instructs Jon and Clary, who nod and place the boxes in the corner of the living room._

 _Jace helps Alec sit on the couch, and the Chairman immediately runs and jumps on Alexander's lap, causing a chuckle from everyone in the room._

" _Wow Magnus, you'd think he was Alec's cat!" Clary exclaims and rubs Chairman's head._

" _He's our cat." Alec emphasises, eating up the attention from the little ball of fur._

" _My mistake." Clary holds her hands up in surrender. By now, Jace and Jon are also crowded around Chairman Meow._

" _It is true, biscuit. When I took in the Chairman, I adopted him with the intent that he would belong to Alexander and I. I know how much Alec loves cats, but he can't have any pets in your building." Magnus says with a fond smile. Magnus notices Alec trying to cover up a yawn, so he decides to take action. He sits next to Alexander on the couch and whispers, "Are you ready for a nap, sweetheart? I can help you to bed if you'd like?"_

" _Yeah, I'm ready to sleep in a real bed. I just don't want to be rude to everyone." Alexander says, gesturing to his brother and friends._


	25. Chapter 25

**Hey guys, new chapter! I decided to post tonight instead of in the morning, mostly due to the fact that I'm sick and I'm hoping I can sleep in. I don't want to wait until tomorrow afternoon/evening to update. Hope you all enjoy the chapter. Have a good weekend.**

Chapter 24

Today is discharge day, and Magnus couldn't be happier. As Magnus packs his clothes, he starts thinking about how the next six to eight weeks are going to go. Alexander has agreed to let Magnus take him back to his loft, where he will stay for the remainder of his recovery time. Magnus plans on spoiling Alec during his stay. They're both off work until Alec is cleared to go back, so there's not going to be a time where Alexander will have to be left alone. Annisa has also insisted on helping Magnus take care of Alec, but Magnus is reluctant to let her do so because he doesn't want Alec to feel uncomfortable. Magnus also knows that Jace, Isabelle, and Clary will be frequent visitors at his apartment, and he doesn't want too many people crowding Alec. He knows that it's killing Alec to not be able to do things on his own, but Magnus is going to try and make him as comfortable as possible. A knock on the door pulls Magnus out of his thoughts.

"Hey, here's a change of clothes for Alec." Clary says as she peeks her head in the door.

"Thanks Clary." Magnus takes the bag out of her hands as she enters the room fully, followed closely by Jace. Magnus is surprised to see the blond.

"I thought you were working today?" Alec asks Jace, echoing Magnus' thoughts.

"I am, but Asmodeus is letting me come in after we get you to Magnus' and settled in." Jace says as he hugs his brother. "We also have a bunch of your clothes in the back of Clary's car. I think Izzy packed your entire wardrobe." Jace chuckles and Alec joins in.

"Yeah that sounds like her." Alec rolls his eyes but with a fond smile on his face. Magnus can't help but to laugh. He expects nothing else from 'The Great Isabelle Lightwood.'

"Hey Clare, would you mind getting these damn IV's out of my hand so I can put some real clothes on?" Alec asks. Clary laughs but shakes her head.

"Not a chance, Lightwood. I'm not the discharge nurse on this unit, so I can't do a damn thing but sit here and be your friend," she replied. Alec huffs in response.

"Knock, knock!" Camille says as she enters the room like she owns the place. She's still not exactly friendly towards Magnus, but he can understand the resentment she holds towards him.

"Hey Cam!" Clary says as she hugs her colleague, and Camille reciprocates the greeting. Clary has no idea that Camille is the same woman from the bar all those months ago, Alexander mentioned to Magnus that he thought it would be best not to fill his best friend in on that bit of information. Magnus tends to agree. Clary can be quite overprotective of Alec.

"Okay Alec, are you ready to get out of here?" Camille asks.

"More than you can possibly image," is Alexander's response. Camille laughs and sets to work on unhooking his IV. Once she's done, she helps Alec sit up, and he walks into the private bathroom to change his clothes.

"Now," Camille starts, looking at everyone in the room. "Who is going to be helping Alec while he's recovering?"

Everyone raises their hands, but Magnus speaks up. "He'll be staying with me. I'll be with him most, if not all of the time."

Camille nods, "Good. Now, here is a list of his nutrition guide. He needs to follow it, especially now. We don't want him to become diabetic. Also, his liver isn't functioning like the way it used to, so that also affects the way his body processes food." Camille waits to make sure they each know the importance of Alec's new diet. Once she receives verbal confirmation she continues, "Here is a list of medication that he can no longer take. Some medication gets broken down by the kidneys, and some through the liver. He can't take Acetaminophen, Theraflu, Nyquil, or Dayquil; just to name a few. This is a list of all over the counter, and prescription medications that he can no longer take."

Camille hands copies to them all, then she starts to go over his physical activities, "Alec may walk for about an hour everyday. He shouldn't be running or doing anything that will constrict his abdominal muscles for fear of reopening his wound." She looks directly at Magnus, "That includes no sexual activity until the doctor releases him to do so. He also can not lift anything over five pounds, too much weight can also put a strain on his wound."

Magnus feels his face heat up in a blush at the mention of sex. He is standing right beside Alexander's brother and best friend. He glances over to see Jace sniggering, but Clary quickly elbows him in the side to shut him up. Magnus smiles and winks at the tiny redhead.

Camille looks away for a moment as if to check if she's forgotten something. "Well, that's everything," she says. "Alec just needs to sign his discharge paperwork, then we can wheel him out."

At that moment, Alec tentatively walks out of the restroom fully clothed. Magnus immediately goes to his side to let Alexander lean on him. His boyfriend gives him a grateful look and wraps his arm around Magnus' waist.

Camille comes over with a wheelchair, and she helps Magnus lower Alec into it. She gives Alec the paperwork that he needs to sign, then she wheels him out to the entrance of the hospital. Magnus hears a gasp escape Alec when he sees that their entire station, along with a few nurses and doctors are outside to greet him. Jon, Helen, Jocelyn, Valentine, Aline, Sebastian, and Jordan all hug him, and the others give him fist bumps or hand shakes. Magnus has tears forming in his eyes as he witnesses the amount of love everyone has for Alexander. Magnus looks over to see Alec blushing, and nearly in tears himself. He glances up at Clary, and notices that she's taking pictures of the occasion. Magnus gets her attention and asks for her to send him every photo that she takes. She of course, agrees without hesitation. After all of the commotion dies down, everyone disperses so Alec can get home and comfortable.

~oOo~

Magnus pulls into his assigned parking spot at his loft, followed closely by Clary, and another vehicle that Magnus doesn't quite recognize. Once he cuts the engine, Magnus runs to the passenger side to help Alec out of the car. They walk towards the building, along with Clary, Jace, and Jon. It's then that Magnus realizes who was driving the other vehicle. Magnus stays close to Alec, but Jace quickly moves to Alec's other side, in case he needs two people to lean on. Magnus hands Jace his keys, so he can help Clary and Jon with the boxes of clothes.

Once inside Magnus' loft, Magnus quickly drops the boxes in his hands.

"We can put the boxes over here for now. I'll organize and find a home for everything later." Magnus instructs Jon and Clary, who nod and place the boxes in the corner of the living room.

Jace helps Alec sit on the couch, and the Chairman immediately runs and jumps on Alexander's lap, causing a chuckle from everyone in the room.

"Wow Magnus, you'd think he was Alec's cat!" Clary exclaims and rubs Chairman's head.

"He's _our_ cat." Alec emphasises, eating up the attention from the little ball of fur.

"My mistake." Clary holds her hands up in surrender. By now, Jace and Jon are also crowded around Chairman Meow.

"It is true, biscuit. When I took in the Chairman, I adopted him with the intent that he would belong to Alexander and I. I know how much Alec loves cats, but he can't have any pets in your building." Magnus says with a fond smile. Magnus notices Alec trying to cover up a yawn, so he decides to take action. He sits next to Alexander on the couch and whispers, "Are you ready for a nap, sweetheart? I can help you to bed if you'd like?"

"Yeah, I'm ready to sleep in a real bed. I just don't want to be rude to everyone." Alexander says, gesturing to his brother and friends.

"Darling, they would all understand. I don't think they're going anywhere anytime soon. If nothing else, I can let Jace drive my car to work so Clary doesn't have to leave when he does." Magnus gently rubs the back of Alec's neck as he speaks. "Besides, they have an open invitation to come over whenever they want."

"Okay." Alec whispers as he leans into Magnus' side, "I'll be more than happy to lay down for a while."

Magnus kisses Alexander on top of his head, then pulls him off the couch. "Guys, I'm going to help Alexander get ready for a nap. Feel free to make yourselves at home. I'll be out in a little while." Everyone nods, Jace pulls Alec into a hug and tells him that he'll be back tomorrow.

Once in the bedroom, Magnus helps Alexander get out of his clothes, then takes all of his decorative pillows off the bed, and tucks Alec in.

"Do you need any pain medication?" He asks, noticing the way Alexander winces as he tries to get himself comfortable.

"No. I want to work through the pain," Alec says in a sleepy voice. "I hate taking the stuff, and only want to take the pills if the pain is unbearable. I'm fine right now."

"Okay, let me know if you change your mind. I'm just going to be in the living room organizing your clothes so I can put them away later." Magnus gives Alexander a sweet kiss before heading out of the room.

~oOo~

Magnus is in the middle of sorting through Alexander's clothes when there's a knock on the door. Wondering who it is, he gets up and looks through the peephole, a wide smile spreading over his face at the visitor.

Opening the door excitedly, Magnus throws his arms around his mother. "Ibu! Come in." He whispers, "Alexander is asleep right now."

Annisa smiles and nods, walking into the loft. She immediately sees the pile of clothes and looks over at Magnus.

"Isabelle, Alec's sister, packed everything that Alexander owns." Magnus waves a hand towards the pile, "I'm trying to figure out where to put it all."

"Is he moving in with you?" She says with an amused tone. Magnus huffs out a laugh.

"You know, I wouldn't mind if he did move in with me." Magnus says with a smile. "But I don't want to rush him into anything. He just got out of the hospital, and we need to focus on his recovery. I don't want to add any pressure."

"I think that would be best." Annisa starts, "Maybe once he's recovered, then you could broach the subject." She walks into Magnus' kitchen and starts looking through his cabinets and refrigerator. "Dear, you have no food in the house! I'm going to go to the store and stock you two up." Then just like that she grabs her purse from where she'd set it on the island, and starts heading towards the door.

Before she can get too far, Magnus grabs Alec's nutrition guide and rushes over to her. "Here's the list of foods Alexander can, and cannot have. It's important that we stick to this list."

She grabs the list, kisses Magnus on the cheek, and tells him that she'll be back later. Magnus tries to give her his card to pay for the groceries, but she's having none of that. "Don't worry about a thing, Mags. I plan on taking care of you boys for as long as you need, and there will be no argument from you or Alec." With that, she leaves the loft.

Magnus sighs. He knew there was no changing her mind when she used that tone so he starts back to work on organizing Alexander's wardrobe. Once finished, he goes into his spare room for some hangers, then creeps in his bedroom trying not to wake Alec. As quietly as he can Magnus moves some of the clothes he barely wears, and puts them in the closet in his spare room, to make room for Alec's clothes. He then hangs all of Alexander's clothes in his closet, and then reorganizes his drawers to have room for more of Alec's things.

Magnus finishes his task just as his mother walks back into the loft with more grocery bags than she should be carrying. He immediately rushes over to assist her. Magnus helps her put all of the groceries away, then she quickly gives him a hug, and kicks him out of the kitchen so she can cook their dinner, telling him to go and check on Alec.

~oOo~

 _Sneak Peek_

" _Alec! It's good to see you son." Valentine says when he walks into the patient room and gives Alec a hug. "Let's have a look at that wound, shall we?"_

 _Alec pulls his shirt off and hands it to Magnus. Then Valentine pulls away the dressings and inspects the site._

" _It looks like the sutures can come out. Everything seems to be healing beautifully." Valentine opens a drawer and pulls some sort of package out of it. He opens up, what Alec assumes is a suture removal kit. It has a pair of scissors with a hook on the end, as well as a pair of tweezers. Alec watches as Valentine pulls the sutures with the tweezers, then cuts them using the scissors. He repeats this process until all of the sutures are removed. Then he takes some iodine and rubs it on the closed wound and puts some steristrips over the wound. When he finishes, Magnus hands Alec's shirt back to him, and quickly puts it on._

" _Now," Valentine begins as he washes his hands, "Don't try pulling those steristrips off for twenty-four hours. After that, they can come off. You can move around more freely since the sutures are out, however, if you stretch or move around and it feels like there's pulling coming from the site, stop what you're doing. We don't need that wound reopening."_

" _Okay, thanks. So I'm allowed to increase my activity now?" Alec asks hopefully. Valentine chuckles._


	26. Chapter 26

**Happy Friday all! Posting now because I'm** _ **STILL**_ **at work! LightBehindTheShadows** **I'm sorry I didn't get the chance to respond to your review from last week. I'll PM you when I wake up tomorrow… er later on today and tell you what all has been going on this past week. Anyway, read on guys! Don't forget to drop a review. I love hearing from you guys! Enjoy the chapter :-)**

Chapter 25

Alec wakes up the same way he has every morning since leaving the hospital: Magnus curled up in front of him, with Alec's arms wrapped securely around his waist, their legs intertwined, and his head buried in the crook of Magnus' neck. Alec inhales deeply, savoring the smell that is solely Magnus, sandlewood with a hint of mint. Alec loves that smell; it always made him feel at home.

Three weeks into Alec's recovery, and he's going stir crazy! Alec hasn't been this stagnant since he was a child, though it hasn't been all bad. Magnus has been waiting on Alec hand and foot. Alec plans to reward Magnus thoroughly for how amazing he's been once he's recovered. At the moment one thing Alec can do is make breakfast for his boyfriend. Alec slowly slips out of bed and heads to the kitchen, followed closely behind is Chairman Meow. Alec feeds the Chairman and starts brewing his coffee and starts the kettle for Magnus' tea, then looks to see what he can make for him and Magnus. Deciding on omelets, Alec gathers the ingredients and has everything cooking away when he fancied adding yogurt with granola to the menu.

Magnus walks into the kitchen, just as Alec finishes setting the table. Alec walks up to his boyfriend and gives him a sweet, chaste, kiss on the lips.

"Good morning my love." Alec says as he pulls away. Magnus just looks around at what Alec's done, dumbfounded.

"Alexander, what is all this?" Magnus gestures towards the table. Alec chuckles and gestures for Magnus to sit down.

"This is breakfast." Alec says as he pours hot water over the tea ball and into Magnus' tea cup, "Chairman ate his breakfast as I was cooking."

"Darling, you didn't have to do this!" Magnus exclaims. "I'm the one who's supposed to be taking care of you, not the other way around." Alec leans towards his boyfriend, and kisses his nose.

"I'm fully aware of that," Alec says, giving Magnus a pointed look when he tries to protest. "But, I'm tired of always sitting around doing nothing. My stomach is feeling much better, and you only allow me to walk around for an hour each day. I feel like a caged couch potato! With that being said, I just wanted to feel useful for once, and I wanted to do something for you."

"I know, and I'm sorry. I am just following the doctors orders." Magnus sighs, "When we go for your follow up appointment today, maybe they will cut out some of your restrictions."

"God I hope so! I'm getting cabin fever." Alec says as he picks up his fork.

"Thank you for breakfast, sweetheart." Magnus grabs Alec's hand and gently brushes his lips across Alec's knuckles causing him to blush.

They eat in companionable silence until they eventually begin discussing their plans for after Alec's doctor's appointment. Alec tells Magnus that he wants to see the guys at the station, and pleads with his boyfriend to take him after his appointment. Magnus agrees as long as the doctors say it's okay that Alec increases his activity levels, which Alec gives him an annoyed look.

"Alexander, I don't want you to overexert yourself!" Magnus exclaims, then his expression softens, "You know I worry about you."

Alec gently stands, as he's still not supposed to flex his abdominal muscles - which is a lot harder than it seems - and takes their empty plates. He bends down and kisses Magnus on his head, "I know you do. I'll wait and see what the doctor says." With that, he slowly turns - so he doesn't twist more than he should - walks into the kitchen and starts cleaning up the mess he made while cooking.

~oOo~

"Alec! It's good to see you son." Valentine says when he walks into the patient room and gives Alec a hug. "Let's have a look at that wound, shall we?"

Alec pulls his shirt off and hands it to Magnus. Then Valentine pulls away the dressings and inspects the site.

"It looks like the sutures can come out. Everything seems to be healing beautifully." Valentine opens a drawer and pulls some sort of package out of it. He opens up, what Alec assumes is a suture removal kit. It has a pair of scissors with a hook on the end, as well as a pair of tweezers. Alec watches as Valentine pulls the sutures with the tweezers, then cuts them using the scissors. He repeats this process until all of the sutures are removed. Then he takes some iodine and rubs it on the closed wound and puts some steristrips over the wound. When he finishes, Magnus hands Alec's shirt back to him, and quickly puts it on.

"Now," Valentine begins as he washes his hands, "Don't try pulling those steristrips off for twenty-four hours. After that, they can come off. You can move around more freely since the sutures are out, however, if you stretch or move around and it feels like there's pulling coming from the site, stop what you're doing. We don't need that wound reopening."

"Okay, thanks. So I'm allowed to increase my activity now?" Alec asks hopefully. Valentine chuckles.

"As long as you don't overexert yourself. I still don't want you lifting any more than fifteen pounds starting off and I'm not talking weights. Maybe lifting groceries, or even a laundry basket; the gym is still off the table for now. Once we clear you to go back to work, that's when you can talk about getting back to the gym, You can do situps if you'd like, but again, decrease the repetitions because you are still healing. Listen to your body Alec, that's very important. If your body is telling you to stop, then stop. I mean it son. I don't want you to tear your abdominal muscles. That would set you back even further in your recovery." Alec nods in understanding. Valentine gives Alec an expectant look, "Do you have any questions, comments, or concerns?"

Alec blushes and gives Valentine a pleading look. He doesn't want to out right ask what he wants to ask, but it seems that Valentine can read his expression and whispers ' _yes you can resume sexual activity'_ which causes Alec to blush even more, but he nods all the same. Valentine pats him on the back, silently chuckling.

"I have a question," Magnus states causing Valentine to face Alec's boyfriend, "Alexander wanted to go visit everyone at the station today. Is that going to be too much for him, or should he be fine going?"

"As long as Alec wants to go, we shouldn't stop him. The more active he is, the more stamina he'll gain. I wouldn't run any marathons, but he should go out more." Valentine smiles at Magnus. "Well kido, you're good to go. Will we see you two for dinner on Sunday?" Valentine asks expectantly.

Since the accident, Alec hasn't been to family dinner and he misses seeing them weekly. They let him know that they'll be there, and Valentine's smile brightens as he bids them goodbye.

~oOo~

They arrive at the station just before noon. Even though Alec is getting hungry, his excitement about seeing his friends outweighs his hunger. Alec figures that he and Magnus will just fix something once they get back home. The word _home_ stops Alec in his tracks. Since when did he start thinking of Magnus' loft as home? He's not opposed to the idea at all, and the more he thinks about it, the more he likes the idea. Luckily Magnus didn't notice the falter in his steps, and he quickly catches up to his boyfriend. _At least I didn't say that out loud. Magnus probably would've freaked!_ Alec thinks as they walk into the station.

As they make their way into the common room, everyone rushes over to them in greeting. Jordan pulls Alec and Magnus into a hug. It's a bit awkward, but Jordan is so huge that he can engolf both of them without missing a beat. Next is Bat, then Shane, Tanner, and Jamal. Aline, of course, is missing because she's on leave as well, just like the rest of Alec's ambulance unit. The PRN unit, according to Jordan, is out on a call.

"Dude! You wouldn't believe it! Dispatch called it in, and I think they broke Ray! He just sat there looking dumbfounded for a minute before he could respond!" Jamal excitedly exclaims, causing everyone to laugh.

"What was the call?" Alec, can't help but wonder what type of call they had coming in first thing in the morning.

"Dispatch called saying there was a twenty-two year old male with a forty ounce beer bottle stuck on his penis." Jamal lost all composure that this point… along with everyone else.

"No!" Is Magnus' shocked response.

"No lie, dude. We couldn't make this shit up if we tried!" Jordan says through his laughter.

"Oh my god! Why did I have to miss that?" Alec exclaims, "That's such a good bar story!" Everyone laughs even harder with that.

"I see the guys told you about the beer bottle incident." Chief says walking out of his office. Magnus and Alec nod, holding in their laughter. Chief laughs as well, "How's my bullet sponge holding up?"

Alec chuckles, "Is that going to be my new nickname, Chief?"

"It is now." He says cheekily. "Come into my office boys."

Alec and Magnus follow, Chief closes the door so they can have privacy.

"So how are you holding up Alec?" Chief asks with concern.

"I'm doing better. The doctor has lifted a few restrictions, so I'm happy about that." Alec answers, confused by the concerned look Chief is giving him. They already spoke in the hospital about the possible effects of PTSD occurring, but Alec said that he was fine, and didn't think he would need any counselling. He knows that this isn't a normal occurrence, their jobs aren't all that dangerous on a regular basis. Alec hasn't even had any nightmares about the shooting, and the doctors said that nightmares could be one of the signs for PTSD. In fact so far, Alec hasn't shown any of the warning signs that were mentioned.

"Look," Chief hands Alec a newspaper article, "I wasn't sure if you were aware of this, but I want to give you a heads up, just in case the press tries to harass you for a statement."

The first thing Alec notices is the title. "Paramedic shot on the Job." Beneath that is a few starting sentences, Alec skims. When he sees his own name written in black and white, he balks. There it is, his full name for anyone to see. At least there isn't a photo.

"How did my name get leaked to the media?" Alec asks angrily.

"I'm not sure, son." the Chief says, tiredly sitting back down. "None of us spoke to the press, and I know for a fact that no one at the hospital released any of your information either. I can only assume it was NYPD."

"Adam." Just one word, but Alec is fuming. Chief looks to Magnus asking him to clarify.

"Alexander's ex, he's one of the cops on site. In fact, he was the arresting officer of the gang member in our ambulance. I think he's the person who leaked Alec's name." Magnus explains.

"I can report him to his superiors, if you'd like? If indeed it was him, he had no authorization to leak your name out to the press the way he did." Chief says with conviction. He seems just as upset about this as Alec.

"I think that would be best." Alec sighs and runs his hand over his face in irritation.

Chief nods, "I'll get right on it. Go home and get well. I'll check in on you later."

With that, Chief ushers Alec and Magnus out of his office. They say their goodbyes to the rest of the guys and head back home where they made their lunch, decided what to cook for their game night - in which all of Alec's siblings and Ragnor are joining them - and take a nap.

~oOo~

Alec and Magnus are in the kitchen making dinner together. They've decided on making a taco bar at the kitchen island. It would be easier to just lay all of the items and have everyone assemble them as they go. Alec is in the process of putting the browned hamburger in a serving bowl when Magnus walks up behind Alec, wraps his arms around his waist, and places opened mouth kisses on the back of his neck, causing Alec to moan.

"I love you, darling." Magnus whispers in Alec's ear.

Alec puts the frying pan on the counter and turns in Magnus' arms. He drapes his arms around Magnus' neck and pulls him flush against him, "I love you too, Magnus."

The look on Magnus' face is one that Alec has grown to adore. He's looking at Alec like he was the only star in the sky. Alec will do anything and everything for Magnus. Unable to resist, he pulls Magnus into a searing kiss. It starts off fast and desperate, nothing but teeth, lips and tongue. Once the overwhelming desire dies down, the kiss turns into something so soft, that it almost brings Alec to tears. Magnus pulls away first, "Darling, if we continue, our friends will end up spending staring at our locked door." He gives Alec another chaste kiss and pulls away, "I for one, do not want to feel Isabelle's wrath for standing them up to have sex."

"That's not fair! You started it." Alec petulantly pouts, causing Magnus to laugh.

"And I'm also ending it… for now." Magnus winks and starts setting out the rest of the food.

The first to arrive is Clary and Jace. They each give Alec and Magnus hugs then Magnus ushers them into the living room. Before Alec can close the door, Jon and Holly show up along with Isabelle and Simon. He directs them to the living room, and starts pouring wine for everyone but himself and Holly. Since the shooting, Alec and Holly have dubbed themselves 'sober buddies', but Holly is very vocal about leaving Alec to his own devices once she's done breastfeeding. Once he finishes dispersing the drinks, the doorbell rings again. Magnus leaves to answer it, and returns with Ragnor and…

"Cat!" Alec exclaims.

Cat gives Alec a hug and asks, "How is my favorite paramedic?"

Before Alec can answer, Ragnor speaks up, "Oh I see how it is. She's great, but you're not happy to see me, pretty boy?" Alec laughs and gives Ragnor a hug.

"I'm always happy to see you, grumpy old man," Alec smiles. It was the truth. Over the course of the last few weeks, Ragnor has become a more prominent figure in Alec's life. It had started with a single evening of laughter and fun. The aftermath of which given risen to their nicknames. Ragnor always calling Alec 'pretty boy' while Alec reciprocates with 'grumpy old man.'

"You, pretty boy, I'm less fond of," Ragnor chuckles, teasing as Alec offered him a glass. "Oh wine! Alright you're not so bad."

"Thanks," Alec laughs sarcastically with everyone else, adding to the comfortable atmosphere. Once the tacos are assembled and consumed, the evening's activities shift to the living room where Cards Against Humanity is brought out to only slightly drunken cheers. By the time the wine had found its way onto at least three of the cards and Ragnor's shirt they decide to call it a night. Alec and Magnus bid their guests goodbye, then head to bed themselves.

 **~oOo~**

 **Important AN: Okay guys, the dispatch story is a true story. I was in my office one night around the time that I started writing this story, and I just stopped. Everything that dispatch said, as well as the response, actually happened. I knew I wanted to add that to this story, I just wasn't sure when to do so. But here it is! The paramedic who responded actually paused for about 10 seconds, then said 'come again dispatch' and yes, dispatch repeated it. I completely lost it!**

 **More Medical Terms because my eye was twitching while writing the doctors visit and not using the proper terminology for a couple of things. This will sooth my OCD. I'm honestly not sure what paramedics do and don't get trained on, so I'm just going to assume they're not too knowledgeable on the proper terms for medical instruments…**

 **Stitch Scissors or Suture Scissors are used in suture removal.**

 **Forceps is the correct term for the tweezers.**


	27. Chapter 27

**Happy Friday! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. There are only four more chapters left after this one.**

Chapter 26

Alec slowly reaches into the bedside drawer and pulls out the necessary items, trying desperately not to wake up Magnus before he's ready to. Silently cheering in victory, he sets the condom and lube on his pillow for easy access, then Alec rolls over towards his sleeping boyfriend. Alec starts placing opened mouthed kisses along Magnus' jawline. Still sleeping, Magnus tilts his head to the side, giving Alec more access to his delectable skin even in his sleep. Magnus moans as Alec's lips trail hot kisses down his throat. Alec looks up, but sure enough, Magnus' eyes are still closed. Alec gently moves to where he's hovering over Magnus' body.

Carefully, Alec makes his way down to Magnus' chest, kissing and nipping at Magnus' pert nipples before moving further down. Alec pays extra attention to Magnus' abdomen, pulling the flesh just underneath his right bottom rib, sucking the skin raw. For whatever reason, Magnus has a sensitive spot right there, and Alec makes sure he gets that particular spot every time. Alec glances back up to see his boyfriend looking down at him with hooded eyes. Smirking, Alec continues his decent.

Magnus is already rock hard with precum leaking out. Alec grabs his member and laps up the precum, then tenderly took him into his mouth. Magnus' hand immediately grabs ahold of Alec's hair, and lewdly moans out his name. Relaxing his throat, Alec starts bobbing, working Magnus over with his mouth and tongue. Popping the top of the bottle, Alec thoroughly coats his fingers with the lube, and works himself open. Once Alec's fully prepared, he releases Magnus and grabs the condom. Using his teeth, Alec rips the wrapper open, and rolls the condom onto Magnus, then coats him with the lube. Magnus pulls Alec up and crashes their lips together in a searing kiss before Alec slowly eases down on Magnus, eyes rolling to the back of his head as he makes the descension. As many times as Magnus has been in him, it still takes a few minutes for Alec to fully adjust to Magnus' size, but Alec loves the way Magnus feels inside him.

Finally adjusted, Alec slowly starts moving. There's a slight pulling sensation in Alec's gut, which causes a slight hiss to escape his lips, but with a slight adjustment in his position, the pulling stops and he can fully enjoy making love to his boyfriend. Magnus noticed him wince, and automatically asks Alec if he's okay. Alec nods and bends down to kiss Magnus, but Magnus has other ideas. Magnus grabs Alec by the hips and flips them over, not once pulling out of him. Alec looks up at Magnus in amazement, Magnus may be taller than Alec, but Alec is much broader. Magnus smirks and leans down and nips Alec's earlobe, "Oh darling, I'm much stronger than I look."

Magnus starts moving faster and harder, hitting Alec exactly where he wants him to, making Alec see stars. Before Alec knows what happening, his orgasm hits fast and hard. A couple thrusts more, and Magnus follows.

"Holy shit, Alexander!" Magnus pulls out, panting, "That was the best wake up ever!"

After they clean up, Magnus trails kisses from Alec's jaw to his new scar. Alec follows Magnus' movements and watches his boyfriend trace his fingers over the recently healed flesh. Alec hates the scar. Ever since he first saw it, he's developed a bit of self consciousness over it. Magnus must have noticed the change in Alec's demeanor because he looks up when Alec sucks in a breath.

"What's wrong?" Magnus' worried expression doesn't help Alec with his newest insecurity.

Swallowing the lump that's forming, Alec clears his throat, "It's ugly."

He's proud of actually managing to say it, but saying it doesn't keep the tears away. Alec has no idea why he's suddenly crying, he's not sure if it's the scar itself, or the reason the scar is there in the first place. Magnus immediately pulls Alec close and holds him tight, soothing him like Alec is a child, and not the twenty-six year old that he is.

Alec pulls away once he's calmed down some. Magnus looks at him lovingly, wiping the tears away from his face. Magnus keeps Alec's face in his hands, making sure they maintain eye contact.

"Darling, there is absolutely _nothing_ ugly about you. _You_ are beautiful, and that scar, it's a symbol of just how strong you are. Don't you dare think anything less, and I'll be here each and everyday to remind you of that." Magnus continues to hold Alec's gaze. Seeing the conviction in Magnus' eyes, Alec nods his head and whispers ' _okay'_. Satisfied with Alec's response, Magnus leans in and gives Alec a kiss. The kiss is full of love, and passion, and Alec melts into Magnus' side.

"I love you so much, Alexander." Magnus says, once they break apart.

"I love you too, Magnus." Alec kisses him once again, then snuggles close, feeling Magnus' warmth. They lay there for a few minutes when Alec's stomach makes an embarrassingly loud growl. Laughing, Magnus pulls Alec out of bed.

"Come on darling." Magnus pulls Alec by the arm towards the bathroom, "Let's take a shower, then we'll make breakfast."

~oOo~

After their shower, Alec and Magnus padded into the kitchen to find a very unamused Chairman Meow staring at them. They couldn't help but laugh at the tiny little ball of fur. Alec goes to feed Chairman while Magnus pets the little kitten who is now purring. Alec gets out all of the ingredients to make breakfast, while Magnus pulls out the pans. Alec also gets the coffee brewing, and fills Magnus' teapot.

While the coffee is brewing, Alec joins Magnus at the stove to get the kettle started. Because both men are shirtless, Magnus puts an apron on to keep bacon grease from hitting his bare chest. Alec giggles at the sight, causing Magnus to turn around.

"What?" Magnus asks.

"You." Alec responds, giving Magnus a kiss on the cheek, "Have I told you just how sexy you look in an apron?"

Magnus grins wickedly, pulling Alec into a heated kiss. Alec pulls away first, and nods his head towards the stove. Magnus rushes over to check on the bacon, causing Alec to huff out a laugh, shaking his head.

As Alec finishes with the waffle batter, he feels lips being pressed into his back, right between his shoulder blades. Turning his head, he kisses Magnus on his temple. Magnus quickly goes back to the stove to start cooking the eggs as Alec pours the waffle batter in the iron.

"I love you." Alec says, as he's working on the waffles. He glances over at Magnus and smiles as he sees Magnus' face soften with his own smile.

"I love you too, Alexander." Magnus leans over to give Alec another quick peck on the lips before taking the eggs off the stove.

Once they sit down to eat, Alec watches longingly as Magnus drenches his waffles in syrup. Alec on the other hand, tops his with fruit, wishing he could eat the syrup. He sees Magnus look up from what he's doing, and gives Alec a sympathetic smile.

"Darling, today I'll go out and buy some sugar free syrup for you. I'm sorry, I didn't think about that when my mom went to the store for us last week." Alec nods, and starts eating his breakfast.

They eat in companionable silence, when Magnus' phone chimes with a text notification. Magnus looks at the phone, his eyebrows raise in surprise, then crease in confusion.

"Do you mind if I meet with Ragnor for lunch today?" Magnus says with uncertainty, "He is apparently having some sort of crisis, and is asking for my advice."

"No problem, I actually wanted to see if Clary is available today. I haven't had one on one time with her in what seems like ages." Alec says as he gets up to take his now empty plate to the sink.

"Great!" Alec hears Magnus' enthusiastic reply as he's rinsing off his plate, readying for the dishwasher, "I hope she is available."

Alec grabs his own phone off the kitchen counter and shoots off a quick text to his best friend. Within a few seconds, Alec gets a response.

"Hey Magnus, is it okay that Clary comes over here? Jace is still using my car," Alec asks. Looking at his boyfriend, Alec sees a confused looks cross his face.

"Alexander, you know you don't have to ask if it's okay for your friends and family to come over. I've already told you that they're welcome here anytime." Magnus places a kiss on Alec's nose, causing him to crinkle it up because it tickles. Magnus just chuckles at Alec's reaction, much like he does every time he kisses Alec on the nose. Even though it tickles, Alec secretly likes when Magnus does it.

Magnus starts walking away from Alec, when Alec catches him by the arm, places his hand gently on Magnus' cheek, and pulls him into a proper kiss. Pulling away, Alec knows he has a goofy smile on his face, "God, I love you. I know I tell you constantly, and I'm sure it has to be getting annoying for you to hear, but I can't help it." Alec strokes his thumb across Magnus' jawline.

"I'll never get tired of hearing you say that, love." Magnus' eyes sparkle brightly as he looks at Alec, "I love you too. And I'll spend the rest of my life a happy man as long as I have you by my side."

Alec melts at that statement. Magnus turns his head and places a kiss on Alec's palm, then pulls away. "As much as I would love to stay right here in your arms, I must go and get ready for the day," Magnus replies. "Ragnor wants to meet me for lunch at one, and it's already eleven-thirty." Alec smiles and watches his man head towards the bedroom.

~oOo~

Magnus left about fifteen minutes before Clary arrives at the loft. As soons as the doorbell rings, Alec jumps up from the couch and runs to greet his best friend.

Opening the door and not even giving her a chance to come in, Alec's bringing her in for a bone crushing hug.

"Well hello to you too." Clary says, laughing and hugging Alec just as tight as he holds her.

Breaking apart, he pulls her into the living room where he already has a bottle of water, and their lunch waiting. "I want to move in with Magnus!" Alec blurts out.

"O-okay." Clary says, wide eyed and stunned, "When did this come about?"

Running a hand through his hair, "Last week when I woke up." Alec lets out of puff of air, trying to figure out how to let Clary know how he came to this realization, "I was curled up with Magnus in my arms… the only thing I could think about was how right it felt, and how much I felt at home with him, surrounded by his body warmth, and… just everything!"

Clary nods in understanding, "So, when are you planning on making the move permanent? You guys have discussed this, yeah?"

Alec hangs his head with a heavy sigh, "No." He looks back up to Clary, "I haven't brought it up yet. I want to… god I want to so much, but what if he isn't ready to take that step? If he doesn't think it's the right time, I don't want to feel - or make him feel uncomfortable - with me continuing being here." With a frustrated groan he continues, "He wants me here until I'm cleared to go back to work. I know that I only have about two weeks left until Valentine should clear me… I just don't want to ask too soon, and I don't want him to feel obligated to say yes." Alec looks at Clary with pleading eyes, "What do I do?"

"Wow." Clary says, looking like she's still trying to process the word vomit that Alec has thrown her way, "Well, lets see. You two have been dating for what… six months now, and I'm not including your three week breakup. I don't think it's too soon to take things to the next level. I mean, since your birthday you have been staying with him every weekend, and now it's been full time since the incident, how about this," She pauses for a moment, "The Launch Party for Asmodeus' restaurant is in two weeks, and also three days before your appointment with dad. After the party, either later on that night, or the next morning, ask him what he thinks about it. Also let him know that if it's too soon then that's okay. Don't make him feel pressured, just because you brought the subject up. Let him know that even if he isn't ready for that next step, nothing in your relationship needs to change."

Alec looks at his best friend in amazement. She _always_ knows how to make him feel better, but suddenly another thought crosses his mind, causing him to panic. "Wait! But what about you? It didn't even occur to me until just now about how that would affect you." Frustrated, he lets out a noise somewhere between a growl and a groan, "I'm such an asshole!"

"Hey, hey, hey! None of that Alec! If you want to move in with Magnus, then that's fine. I'm nothing but happy for you. I'll be fine, and… Jace and I talked." This peeks Alec interest, "He and I kinda want to live together as well. At first, he was just going to move into my room, but we were planning on running it by you as well. Now we don't have to do that."

Alec is stunned to say the least. Clary and Jace are already ready for that step! _Wow, okay. This is a good thing._ Alec thinks to himself, granted his big brother instincts are kicking in big time, but this is his best friend and his brother. He knows just how much they care for one another; he can see it in everything they do. Alec's smile is so big that his cheeks are starting to hurt. He's so happy for them and he launches himself at Clary, pulling her into a tight embrace. "That's amazing Clare! I'm so happy for you guys."

"So you're okay with it? Even if you don't move in here with Magnus?" She asks, a little unsure.

"Of course I am. We've all been living together anyways. You two will just be sharing a room from now on." Alec laughs a little as another thought crosses his mind, "And I finally get my damn room back."

That makes Clary laugh. They talk about what Clary would do with his room if he ends up moving in with Magnus. She mentioned just turning it into an office, so that way she can get her computer out of her bedroom. She also mentioned redecorating the apartment. As of right now, it's the perfect blend of her and Alec, but if he moves out she wants the perfect blend of her and Jace. But if Alec ends up staying, she still wants to decorate to where it's a combination of the three of them and Alec can't agree more. She stays for a little while longer before she needs to meet Jace for their date, and give him the news. Alec walks her to the door, gives her a hug, kisses her temple, and thanks her for the advice before she leaves.

Closing the door, Alec's phone starts ringing. Not sure who it is, but knowing that it could be a doctors office calling, he answers the phone. "Hello?"

"Alexander, it's your mother. Can we speak?"

 **~oOo~**

 _Sneak Peek:_

" _And how are things going with you and the lovely doctor Loss?" Magnus inquires. Wanting to take his mind off of the events that have led up to him meeting with Ragnor in the first place._

 _Ragnor's eyes light up, his smile is gentle, and a blush forms on the apples of his cheeks. Magnus has never seen his grumpy ass best friend look like this before._

" _We're doing very well. She's my plus one to the launch party. She made sure that she gave herself, as well as Clary and Helen the night off for the event. From what I head, Clary's boyfriend, aka your boyfriends brother, is to be the head chef at that location?" Ragnor says._

" _That he is. You remember Jace, don't you?" Magnus asks._

" _Yes, he's the blond one, right?"_

" _That's right," Magnus confirms. "He was at our loft last weekend. Dad finally gave him a night off so he could unwind. Dad constantly sings Jace's praises, but don't tell Jace that. His ego is big enough on it's own. Dad said that he can't believe that no one was willing to hire him, and he's glad that he was the one to be able to give Jace this opportunity."_

" _He held himself like he was an asshole, but once you talk to him, he's a great guy" Ragnor continues. "His girlfriend, Clary, she's a true gem." Magnus is elated that Ragnor likes his friends, especially because they've become so important to Magnus._

" _Biscuit truly is wonderful. She's fiercely protective of those she cares about, but wouldn't hesitate to put you in your place when needed. She's actually perfect for Jace. Keeps him grounded." Magnus praises, then thinks about something. Ragnor is a sneaky mother fucker, "Hey! Don't change the subject. Tell me how things are going with you and Cat, and don't just say 'good'."_


	28. Chapter 28

**So… Happy late Thursday night everyone. Feel free to skip over my AN if you choose to do so. I just needed to get things off my chest and there's** _ **a lot**_ **of rambling. And writing is my way of doing that.**

 **It has been a shitty couple of weeks. Two weeks ago my mother had a stroke. It was caused by a blood clot in the left side of her frontal lobe, which has affected her speech and thought process. She also had a full blockage in her left carotid artery. Monday she had surgery to remove the blockage, which ending up being an all day surgery (mostly because emergencies kept coming in and they kept pushing her surgery back). She's doing better now for the most part. Her speech is no longer up to parr, but she's fully cognisant and her memory is still there, she just can no longer form complete sentences or form a complete thought.**

 **Very few people knew about what's been going on. I've been holding a lot of my own emotions about the situation to myself, mostly due to the fact that I haven't had time to just stop and analyze what exactly has happened and how I'm dealing with it. Part of me feels like I'm not dealing with my emotions at all. I'm just keeping my mind busy so I don't have to stop and think about how I feel. I also keep telling myself that this isn't about me, it's about helping, hoping, and praying that my mom makes it out of this as unscathed as as she can, and it doesn't matter how I feel; she's alive and that's what matters most.**

 **I've also been working 12 hour days all week so I'm pretty exhausted.**

 **I wanted to be able to let you guys know the release date of my next story in this update, however, with everything that's been going on, I'm not sure when that'll be now. I've only been able to write the first three chapters of that story so far, but with all the shit that's been going on I haven't had the time or have been in the right headspace to write anything else on it. I know that I wanted to publish my next story the week after this story ends, but I don't think that's going to happen now. I will let you guys know more by the last chapter of this story.**

 **So, yeah… that's basically been my life for the last two weeks. I'm done rambling now. Enjoy the chapter guys, sorry to dump all of my crap on you guys.**

Chapter 27

Magnus feels bad about lying to Alec this morning. Ragnor asked if they both wanted to have lunch with him today, but this morning after their mind blowing sex, Magnus had an epiphany. As he was trailing kisses down Alexander's torso, he realized that he wants to wake up with Alexander by his side for the rest of their lives. The thought freaked him out momentairly, but the more he thinks about it, the more he wants it.

Magnus walks into the restaurant and immediately sees his Cabbage. They greet each other, and Magnus sits down. The server immediately comes to take their food and drink orders, and Magnus is glad that Ragnor has chosen a restaurant they frequent so much that he doesn't even need to look at the menu.

"Where's pretty boy today? Usually you two are attached at the hip." Ragnor says.

"I kind of lied to him and told him that you were having a crisis, and needed to get some advice from me." Magnus says, looking down at his hands in shame. He truly didn't want to lie to Alec, but he didn't know what else to do, and he needs his best friends advice right now.

Hearing Ragnor's sigh, Magnus looks back up at his friend. "Magnus, what on earth is going on? You two seem so happy, in fact, you two are sickeningly sweet with each other to the point where it's almost nauseating for everyone else."

"No, no! We're fine… great actually, but I realized something today and it scared the shit out of me." Magnus says, Ragnor nods his head, encouraging Magnus to continue, "I want to marry him!"

If the shocked look is anything to go by, Ragnor also thinks it's insane so Magnus clarifies, "I'm not stupid enough to ask him to marry me after only six months together, but I at least want to ask him to move in with me."

Opening and closing his mouth repeatedly, Ragnor finally finds his voice, "Okay. Yes, I do believe that you would scare Alec off if you were to propose, but asking him to move in is a reasonable request."

"But how do I ask him? I don't want to come off sounding too clingy, and I sure as hell don't want to push him into doing something that he may not be ready for." Magnus' voice seems to be getting higher and higher as he speaks. He takes a few deep breaths, calming himself down, "I just don't want to freak him out. What if me asking him to move in, pushes our relationship to a breaking point?"

"What do you mean, 'breaking point'?" Ragnor uses air quotes when asking. "Do you think that living together will be such a bad thing? You're pretty much living together now. And I should remind you, before Alec was injured, you two were spending every weekend together, as well as working together. I don't see the problem here."

"No." Magnus shakes his head, "I don't think that him moving in would be a problem. I'm saying that me _asking_ might be. What if he isn't ready for that next step and it breaks us up?" Magnus tries to rephrase his concerns.

"Then let him know that it's okay if he's not ready yet. Reassure him that if he doesn't want to take that next step, nothing in your relationship has to change. You two can go back to how things were before the shooting." Ragnor says like it's the simplest solution.

"But when should I ask him? I don't want to ask him too soon, just in case he isn't ready yet. I don't want him to feel awkward around me for the next couple of weeks if he says no. _And_ I don't want him to go back home yet either. I'm just stuck on when the best time would be." Magnus says. He's sure that he's overthinking the whole thing, but he can't help but worry.

Ragnor gives a contemplative look, then his face lights up, "Do it at your dad's launch party!"

"What?" Is the only thing Magnus can think of to ask.

"You said you didn't want to do it too soon, and your dad's launch party is in about two weeks. That's roughly at the same time Alec should be getting his medical clearance to go back to work. It's the perfect time to ask him!" Ragnor exclaims.

"Damn it, Cabbage! You, my dear friend are a genius!" Magnus says, elated that his best friend is able to help him out with this, "I'll do it at the party! It's perfect!"

"Great! Now we need to set up a plan. All of our friends are going to be there, but I don't suggest you ask him in front of everyone. You don't want him to feel pressured to make his decision go one way or the other." Magnus nods in agreement, "Your dad has an outdoor eating area correct?" Magnus nods again, "After dinner, take him out there. Tell him how you feel, then ask him. But make sure that you emphasis that he doesn't have to feel obligated to say yes. Reiterate that your relationship can, and will stay the same no matter what his decision is."

"Okay, I can do that. I'll do it at the launch party." Magnus breathes deeply to calm his nerves. He knows that he's going to be nervous when the time comes, but at least now he has a solid plan.

"Good. Buck up old friend. I think everything will turn out to be fine. Alec is just as crazy about you as you are of him. I don't see any reason why he would say no." Ragnor pauses as their food arrives, "As far as this whole lying thing goes, I will cover for you just this once. I love that kid, and I don't want you lying to him again. We can tell him that I wanted some advice on Catarina or something." Ragnor waves a hand in the air as if to save the problem with magic.

"And how are things going with you and the lovely doctor Loss?" Magnus inquires. Wanting to take his mind off of the events that have led up to him meeting with Ragnor in the first place.

Ragnor's eyes light up, his smile is gentle, and a blush forms on the apples of his cheeks. Magnus has never seen his grumpy ass best friend look like this before.

"We're doing very well. She's my plus one to the launch party. She made sure that she gave herself, as well as Clary and Helen the night off for the event. From what I've heard, Clary's boyfriend, aka your boyfriends brother, is to be the head chef at that location?" Ragnor says.

"That he is. You remember Jace, don't you?" Magnus asks.

"Yes, he's the blond one, right?"

"That's right," Magnus confirms. "He was at our loft last weekend. Dad finally gave him a night off so he could unwind. Dad constantly sings Jace's praises, but don't tell Jace that. His ego is big enough on it's own. Dad said that he can't believe that no one was willing to hire him, and he's glad that he was the one to be able to give Jace this opportunity."

"He held himself like he was an asshole, but once you talk to him, he's a great guy" Ragnor continues. "His girlfriend, Clary, she's a true gem." Magnus is elated that Ragnor likes his friends, especially because they've become so important to Magnus.

"Biscuit truly is wonderful. She's fiercely protective of those she cares about, but wouldn't hesitate to put you in your place when needed. She's actually perfect for Jace. Keeps him grounded." Magnus praises, then thinks about something. Ragnor is a sneaky mother fucker, "Hey! Don't change the subject. Tell me how things are going with you and Cat, and don't just say 'good'."

"Fine! Fine!" Ragnor chuckles, he almost got away with changing the subject, "Things are still very new between us, but she is the kindest woman I have ever had the privilege of dating. We only get to see each other once a week due to her schedule at the hospital, but we text and talk constantly. She's very…" Ragnor waves his hand, seemingly trying to come up with a proper word to use to describe her, "refreshing."

Magnus blinks, surprised. _That's_ the word he wants to use to describe the woman he's so smitten with, _refreshing!_

"Okay then." Magnus says, coming out of his haze, not sure what else to say to that.

Sighing, Ragnor gives Magnus a pointed look, "You know I'm emotionally stunted. But Cat makes me actually _feel_. I honestly don't know how to describe how I feel when I'm with her." Magnus understands. That's the same indescribable feeling he gets when he thinks about Alexander. It's even worse when he's with him.

They chat some more while finishing their lunch. Ragnor telling Magnus about his work, Magnus giving way too much information about what he and Alexander have been doing. Then they part ways.

As Magnus is heading out the door, he gets a phone call from his mother asking him to stop by and help her with something she needs done in the house. Magnus sends her a text letting her know that he's on his way, then sends Alexander a text letting him know where he's going.

~oOo~

Arriving at his parents house, Magnus notices the living room full of fabric swatches, tables set up with different styles of cutlery, plates and glassware. He chuckles, knowing that his mother wants his help in deciding what to use for the new restaurants launch party. Whatever they choose for the launch party will indeed end up being the decor for the restaurant itself when it officially opens two weeks after the party.

"Mags!" The familiar voice comes from right behind him. Magnus turns, a curse about to slip through his lips.

"Ow," Magnus whines as his mother smacks him on the backside of the head for almost swearing.

"My baby boy, how are you?" Annisa pulls him into a hug and kisses his cheek. Then she looks around, "Where's Alec?"

"He is at home spending some one on one time with Clary. I was out having lunch with Ragnor when I got your text." Annisa nods, looking like she wants to ask him something.

"Is everything okay between you two? I know for a while you were getting frustrated that he wasn't coming around here with you. I thought things were better?" She asks.

"Oh, no! Everything's great with us. He just hasn't been able to spend alone time with his siblings and friends for a while, and I needed to speak to Ragnor alone about something. But I assure you, Alexander and I are perfect." Magnus quickly explains.

"Good, good." She says, "Is it too soon to say that I love that boy, and I hope and pray that he becomes my son-in-law?"

Magnus chuckles, "It's not too soon to say that to me, just don't say that to Alec. He might freak out. We've only been together for half a year."

"Fair enough. I wouldn't want to scare the poor boy away." Annisa laughs as she leads Magnus into the living room, "I'll just get down to business. I want your opinion on all of this." She gestures towards the different place settings around the room.

Magnus walks around the settings, and visualises how the restaurant is set up, and what the color scheme is. He knows from potos, and the many debates he's witnessed his parents have, that the carpets are a deep maroon, dark mahogany wainscoting paired with maroon paint for the walls. Dim lighting throughout the dining room with crystal chandeliers and wall sconces. The tables are the same dark mahogany as the wainscoting. The entire restaurant reminds Magnus of what the New York elite would dine in during the late eighteen hundreds or early nineteen hundreds. Needless to say, the restaurant is gorgeous!

It takes Magnus all of fifteen minutes to choose the perfect place setting. He clears off one of the tables, replaces the black tablecloth with a cream colored one with gold threaded paisley pattern throughout. He then grabs a matching set of crystal glassware, maroon linen napkins, and gold cutlery. He sets the table up, and grabs crystal salt and pepper shakers and a small crystal vase that is filled with red and white roses. The centerpiece is low enough that it doesn't obstruct the view of multiple guests sitting at the table.

Stepping back, Magnus turns and looks at his mother. She's staring that the place setting with a look of amazement. "Magnus, this is beautiful! I've been working on these for days, and you come in here and find the perfect setting in just twenty minutes! How do you do it?"

Chuckling, Magnus shrugs his shoulders, "I'm not the one who ordered the samples. You just needed a second opinion, and I was here to provide it."

Sitting down on the couch, Magnus looks at his mom, "How's the guest list coming along?"

"It's done." Annisa says with what Magnus thinks is a relieved sigh, "Of course there's you and all of your friends, The Morgenstern's, Penhollow's, and Blackthorn's - all of the Blackthorn's - your father's new attorney's, a few government officials, and a few chef's that your father knows. There will be roughly a hundred people at the launch party."

"I always thought dad's attorney's was the Blackthorn's?" Magnus says, sounding more of a question than anything else.

"No. They offered but your father knows how busy they are. Plus they mostly handle the LGBT community, more than anything else." She says, "His last attorney retired, and he referred your father to his old partners."

"Fair enough." Magnus shrugs, "Does dad like them?"

"He's only spoken to them on the phone. They'll formally meeting them at the launch party. He gets to spend his time out in the dining room evaluating the wait staff for the first time in his life. He loves Alec's brother. He says that the kid shows great promise and is fully confident that he won't need to check on the kitchen at all." Annisa says, there's a bit of pride laced in her voice. Magnus is a slightly shocked because every restaurant opening he's ever been to, his dad has always stayed in the kitchen, letting his restaurant manager handle the dining room. His father must have a lot of faith in Jace if he's considering letting him handle things on his own.

"Well, I'm glad he's already comfortable with Jace." Magnus says with a smile, "I remember in the past, whenever dad would open a new restaurant, we wouldn't see him for at least the first three months of the opening. Maybe he won't be like that this time around."

"Who knows, maybe you're right son." Annisa laughs along with Magnus.

Magnus then explains that he needs to head to the store and buy Alec's sugar free maple syrup before he goes home. Magnus kisses his mother goodbye, then lets himself out to go home to his boyfriend.

~oOo~

 _Sneak Peak:_

" _Alexander, darling. What's wrong?" Magnus asks nearly frantically. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"_

 _Wow, Alec thinks. I must have been out of it for a while._

" _More like heard a ghost," Alec answers, once he's cleared his throat._

 _Magnus, still looking confused, "What do you mean, love?"_

" _My mother called me." Is Alec's only answer._

 _Magnus sucks in a sharp breath, "What?"_

" _I was showing Clary out, then once the door closed, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but assumed it was one of my doctors calling or something!" Alec's voice sounds on the verge of hysterical, even to his own ears._

" _And what did she say? I swear, if she only called to harass you, I'm going to give her a few choice words of my own!" Magnus exclaims. A ghost of a smile forms on Alec's lips at how protective Magnus is being._


	29. Chapter 29

**Happy Friday guys! Hope you enjoy the chapter, and as always, I'd love to hear what you think. Only two more chapters left.**

Chapter 28

"Alexander, it's your mother. Can we speak?"

What could Maryse Lightwood possibly want to say to him? It's been six years since they've spoken. What's changed? Is she trying to mend their relationship just so Jace and Izzy will come back into their lives? It wouldn't surprise Alec if that were the case. Did they have a change of heart about disowning him? If so, why now? Why not years ago when a relationship could have been salvageable? Can they even go back to having any semblance of a relationship at this point? Or did they see the newspaper article, and decide that they want to try again? What is going on here? Alec just stands in the middle of the foyer frozen in shock.

"Alec, son… are you there." That snaps Alec out of his thoughts quickly.

"Son? Son? Are you kidding me right now?" Alec says harshly, "After six years of no contact whatsoever, you decide to suddenly call. What do you want Maryse?"

Alec hears sniffling on the other end of the phone, "I miss you so much, Alec."

"How did you even get my number?" Alec asks, his tone more tired than angry as he paces in the living room.

"Alec, I've been keeping tabs on you for the last six years. Your father and I are attorneys, we have several private investigators on our payroll. I've had one of them following you almost exclusively since you've been gone." Maryse states in an exasperated tone.

"Following me? As in, stalking me? But why? _You_ were the ones who disowned me, why do you care what I'm doing? And why now, why are you contacting me now?"

"I've told you Alec, I've missed you. I want to be a part of your life." Maryse sniffles again, "I don't expect you to forgive me right away, but I would like to earn your trust back."

"What about Robert? Does he want the same thing?" Alec is having a hard time believing that his father would want anything to do with him.

"When we heard that you were shot, Robert was beside himself. I think he felt responsible because your life would be vastly different if we had allowed you to stay."

"Really?" Alec asks skeptically. When his parents kicked him out, his father had never said anything about disinheriting him, Maryse was the vocal one when he came out. She's the person who kicked him out and told him he was a disgrace. Robert just sat there, silently scowling the entire time. Alec hadn't thought about that day in a long time, he all but forgot about that until now. But how would his life have been any different? They knew he wanted to become a paramedic. Alec decides to voice his thoughts.

"Alec, if we had never kicked you out, you could have been working in Manhattan instead of Brooklyn." She said the word 'Brooklyn' like it was some third world country, and not one borough over from Manhattan.

"Well it still doesn't change the fact that it happened, Maryse." Alec is getting angry again, " _You_ made it clear that I was a disgrace to the Lightwood name, not him. So I'll ask you again, why are you contacting me now?"

"I've already told you Alec." Maryse's is losing her patience by the sound of her voice, "I miss you. I want you back in our lives."

Alec sighs in resignation. He's still sceptical, he knows that things won't just magically go back to the way they were before he was kicked out, but for the sake of himself, as well as his siblings, he's willing to try, "Fine. If you want to make an effort, my boyfriend's father is opening a new restaurant in Manhattan. It's just on the other side of the Brooklyn bridge, almost directly across from one of his current ones. Jace is his head chef, so you may see him there, although he'll be busy. I know Izzy and Simon will be at the party, please don't make a scene. I don't want -" Alec is cut off my Maryse.

"Alexander, stop rambling. It's not an attractive quality." She says impatiently.

"Look, _you_ called me. _You_ wanted to try to reconcile with me. Interrupting me and getting pissy isn't the way to do it, Maryse. And don't call me Alexander. You gave up that right when _you_ threw me out." Alec cringes at the use of his full name, especially when she uses her reprimanding tone, "The party is next saturday, I can have an invitation sent to your house."

"That's fine. I need to go, I have a meeting in in five minutes. We will see you there." With that, Maryse hangs up. No ' _goodbye Alec'_ , or ' _I love you.'_ She just hangs up.

Alec sits on the couch, discarding his phone on the coffee table. He feels strange, almost surreal. This is something that he thought he's wanted for the last six years, but he can't help feeling that there is a catch. Would they really be able to have this relationship? Would they be okay with Magnus's role in Alec's life? Would they accept his boyfriend? If his parents can't accept his relationship, then Alec isn't even sure if he can welcome them back in his life. Alec knows what it's like to not have Magnus, and he certainly doesn't want to be without him. Especially if it involves his parents, the ones who were so quick to throw him out just based off his sexuality.

Then there's his mother's attitude. She was so hot and cold with him, it almost gave Alec whiplash! One minute he hears her sniffling over the phone, almost as if she were crying. Then the next moment she was brash and seemingly impatient. She didn't sound like the same loving, caring person he grew up respecting. She seemed more like the cold hearted bitch that had kicked him out in the first place. Still Alec couldn't help the hope rising in him. It was dangerous, but impossible to squash. He tried to reason with the emotion, reminding himself that he should be skeptical. The inconsistency his mother had shown confused Alec, and that confusion helped keep his hope in check, at least for now. But still, Alec is worried this will all blow up in his face.

Alec is so wrapped up in this thoughts, that he doesn't notice Magnus walking through the door, or him speaking to him. Alec doesn't even register Magnus' presence until he feels two cool hands placed on each of his cheeks. Alec looks up, sees Magnus sitting in front of him on the coffee table, a worried expression marring his beautiful features.

"Alexander, darling. What's wrong?" Magnus asks nearly frantically. "You look like you've seen a ghost!"

 _Wow,_ Alec thinks. _I must have been out of it for a while._

"More like heard a ghost," Alec answers, once he's cleared his throat.

Magnus, still looking confused, "What do you mean, love?"

"My mother called me." Is Alec's only answer.

Magnus sucks in a sharp breath, "What?"

"I was showing Clary out, then once the door closed, my phone rang. I didn't recognize the number, but assumed it was one of my doctors calling or something!" Alec's voice sounds on the verge of hysterical, even to his own ears.

"And what did she say? I swear, if she only called to harass you, I'm going to give her a few choice words of my own!" Magnus exclaims. A ghost of a smile forms on Alec's lips at how protective Magnus is being.

"She called saying that she wants to reconcile. She… she said that she misses me." Alec whispers the last part.

"Oh Sweetheart," Magnus says, rubbing his thumb across Alec's cheekbone, "You don't sound very sure about it. Tell me what you're concerns are. We can sort this out together."

Alec tells Magnus everything. There's not a single detail that he left out in the retelling of his conversation with his mother. Alec barely notices how monotone his voice sounds. Almost like he's reciting the ordeal from a script. He feels this sort of detachment as he gives Magnus the details. There are way too many emotions running through Alec's mind to even form his own opinion at the moment. As Alec finishes, he can tell Magnus is absorbing what all was said.

Magnus eventually speaks, clearing his throat beforehand. "How do you feel about your parents coming back into your life?"

"I… I don't…" Alec lets out a frustrated groan, both hands gripping his hair. "I don't know how I feel! There are so many things running through my mind right now, I can't say exactly what I'm feeling!"

"Hey," Magnus says soothingly, rubbing both hands up and down Alec's thighs. "Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and clear that beautiful head of yours. Then really think about your emotions, and talk to me."

Alec does just that. After a few minutes, and taking quite a few deep breaths, he opens his eyes, staring into those unique golden-green eyes that he's fallen in love with. "Okay." Taking one more deep breath. "I feel hurt, which I don't think will ever go away. I feel hopeful at the prospect of having my parents back in my life. I'm angry that it's taken them so long to come around, but I'm also confused for that same reason. I can't help but be skeptical."

"Okay, I understand the hurt and anger, because they were dicks for treating you that way in the first place. The skepticism is also justifiable. The way you described your mother's actions over the phone just don't seem to add up to me." Magnus says, almost as if he's trying to analyse Alec's emotions as well.

"I know!" Alec exclaimed, gaining some semblance of life back in him. "That's just it, one minute she's acting like the caring mother I grew up knowing, then the next, she's stone cold like she was when she kicked me out!"

"That's exactly why I'm conflicted about you reconciling. Alexander, don't get me wrong, I would love to see you have a relationship with your parents. With that being said, I also don't want to see you hurt by them again. I'll do anything I can to keep them from hurting you." Magnus says with conviction.

"I know you will, and I appreciate that more than you could ever know." Alec says, a small smile creeping up.

"What reasons do you feel conflicted? Maybe we can sort this out." Magnus asks.

"Part of me… well part of me feels like the only reason they want me in their lives is so Jace and Izzy will start talking to them again. It's only been a couple of months since Jace left, and Izzy explained how she chewed them out when they met her back in California. The timing seems to fit." Alec stops to think some more. "There's also the article in the paper about me, as I said, she told me that my dad flipped his shit when he saw it. Maybe in the back of their minds, they figured that I would always be here, but with me getting shot and nearly dying," Alec mumbles a quick 'sorry' and gives Magnus an apologetic look when he notices him flinch, "They realized that anything could happen."

"I can completely relate with how they could have felt on that one." Magnus says with a sad smile. Alec leans forward and gives his boyfriend a quick, chaste kiss on the lips.

"Then there's the whole thing with my dad!" Alec says, becoming frustrated all over again.

"What do you mean? I thought you only spoke to your mother?" Magnus questions.

"That's the whole point! When I was kicked out, it was my mother who did the kicking out. My father never said shit." Alec says venemately. "He didn't say a single thing. My mother said that when he saw the news article, and was upset - if that's even true - that's when she decides to call! Not only that, but that article came out weeks ago!"

"Ah, I see. So you're now questioning your father's stand on this whole thing. That makes sense, but again, I just don't want you to get your hopes up with your parents. Did your mom say whose idea it was to hire the PI? If it was your mother then maybe her intentions to have you back in her life are honorable, but if it was your father, we might be able to figure out his motive." Magnus says thoughtfully.

"I don't know." Alec sighs out tiredly, then adds, "She made it seem like it was her idea, but I don't know for sure."

"Okay, at the party I promise you that I will not leave your side even for a minute. When your parents approach you, I will be right there the entire time." He paused then added, in a quieter voice. "Unless of course you want me to leave."

"I want you there," Alec smiles.

"Good," Magnus smiles back. "Then the moment they cause a scene, or I detect the slightest bit of unwanted tension from you, they're leaving."

Alec leans forward, his head resting on Magnus' chest and Magnus immediately wraps his arms around Alec, rubbing his back comfortingly. He inhales deeply, savoring Magnus' scent, "Okay."

After a few minutes of comfort, Alec pulls back. Magnus smiles down at him and moves from the coffee table to sit beside him on the couch. Alec watches as Magnus pulls out his phone and begins texting. Alec is about to ask who he suddenly felt the need to text, when Magnus asks for the Lightwood's address. Alec smiles, nuzzles into Magnus' neck and recites the address he grew up at. After Magnus sends the text off, he moves to where he's laying on the couch, with Alec laying on top of him. Magnus circles Alec in his arms, and Alec drifts off to sleep listening to Magnus' steady heartbeat.

~oOo~

 _Sneak Peek_

 _They make their way into the dining area, following the_ _maître d' to their table_ _. Magnus notices Alexander glancing around. "Are they here yet?" Magnus asks, knowing exactly who Alec is looking for._

" _Not yet, or at least not that I can tell." Alec replies. At this moment, Ragnor comes into view._

" _Magnus! Pretty Boy! Good to see you two." Ragnor greets them with a hug._

" _Hey old man!" Alec huffs out a laugh and a genuine smile. "Where's your better half?"_

" _Ah, pretty boy's got jokes." Ragnor looks around, "Catarina is over near the Morgensterns' talking about… well… whatever it is that doctors talk about."_

" _Alec?" it isn't a voice Magnus recognizes, but he knows it came from behind them. Before Magnus can turn to look, suddenly there's a man rushing towards his boyfriend, pulling him into a tight embrace._

" _My boy! I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Magnus hears the man whispering, his face buried in Alexander's neck. "I should have fought her. I never should have let you go."_


	30. Chapter 30

**Happy Friday guys! Here's the next to last chapter. I hope you all enjoy it. There's no sneak peek this time, but at the end of the next chapter, I'll post the summary of my next story as well as the release date. Anyway… don't forget to leave a review! Have a great weekend guys!**

Chapter 29

Arriving at the restaurant, Magnus can't help but admire the decor. Everything that he and his mother picked out looks amazing, but not as amazing as the man standing next to him. Isabelle did a fantastic job on designing and making their suits. Alexander is wearing a black dress shirt, black dress pants, a midnight blue blazer with black silk lapels, and a tie that matches the blazer. When Magnus saw Alexander in his suit, he wanted to rip it off and have his way with him.

Magnus' suit coordinates with Alexander's perfectly. Magnus is wearing a royal blue blazer, tie, dress pants, with a thin paisley pattern embroidered in the blazer and tie. Underneath that he had on a simple black dress shirt. His hair is chalked in blue, set in his signature spikes along with glitter gel to give him more flare. His makeup is a blue smoky eye shadow, lined with black kohl and glitter. Magnus also used a nude lips gloss.

They make their way into the dining area, following the maître d' to their table. Magnus notices Alexander glancing around. "Are they here yet?" Magnus asks, knowing exactly who Alec is looking for.

"Not yet, or at least not that I can tell." Alec replies. At this moment, Ragnor comes into view.

"Magnus! Pretty Boy! Good to see you two." Ragnor greets them with a hug.

"Hey old man!" Alec huffs out a laugh and a genuine smile. "Where's your better half?"

"Ah, pretty boy's got jokes." Ragnor looks around, "Catarina is over near the Morgensterns' talking about… well… whatever it is that doctors talk about."

"Alec?" it isn't a voice Magnus recognizes, but he knows it came from behind them. Before Magnus can turn to look, suddenly there's a man rushing towards his boyfriend, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"My boy! I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." Magnus hears the man whispering, his face buried in Alexander's neck. "I should have fought her. I never should have let you go."

The man - who Magnus now presumes to be Alec's father - pulls out of the embrace with eyes red rimmed as he continues, "Words can't describe how much I've missed you son."

Alexander, who had clearly been stunned in silence up until now, snaps out of his haze. "I've already been over this with Maryse, it's taken you six years to contact me! Tell me, Robert. What's changed? Why are you and Maryse suddenly ready to let me back in with open arms?" Alec says angrily. He moves closer to Magnus, and Magnus automatically wraps his arm around Alexander's waist in comfort and support. He also notices that Ragnor has made himself scarce.

"I'm sorry Alec. I wish I could go back in time and change everything. Ever since your mother kicked you out, we've been fighting more and more. I confess that I was a coward. I knew how she felt about homosexuals, and I still allowed her to treat you the way she did, and for that, I am sorry. I will spend the rest of my life making that up to you." Robert takes a noticeable breath, "When I found out that you nearly died, that's when I gave your mother the ultimatum."

Now Magnus is confused, Alexander didn't say anything about an ultimatum. He glances at his boyfriend, and realizes that Alec too knows nothing about this.

"What ultimatum?" Alec says incredulously.

Magnus turned towards Robert, who looks like his face is going to explode. It's an alarming shade of red, and there's a vein popping out in his forehead. "You mean she didn't tell you!?" Robert asks in a strained voice, Alec shakes his head. "When I found out about the shooting, that was the last straw. I told your mother that I had already lost one son, and I'd be damned if I would lose another. I was tired of her constantly dictating what goes on in our family. I wanted you back. I told her that she needed to contact you and set things right." The anger faded from his voice as he continued. "Son, I don't care that you're gay. I just want you to be happy, and I know you haven't been for a long time."

"I don't know about that," Alec mumbled.

"But my point is, my best friend, Michael Wayland, is gay. He came out to me when we were in college. Shortly after your mother and I married, she told me that she wanted nothing to do with him. And even though I stop talking to my best friend because of her, I never truly realized how homophobic she was until you came out to us. I've spent the last six years in counseling, trying to figure this all out. It really has helped me come to terms with my own issues, and has been helping me resolve them."

"I still don't understand where this ultimatum plays in." Alec says. His entire demeanor seems more relaxed.

"Right, sorry. I digress." Magnus realizes with much amusement that Alec must have gotten his rambling nature through his father. "The ultimatum I gave your mother is that she make amends and welcomes you back into the family, or I was going to go through with the divorce. I was never the one who disowned you, you still have all of your inheritance, and I've never written you out of the will."

Magnus tightens his grip on Alexander's waist when he hears Alec suck in a sharp breath. Hell, the news they've just received has knocked the air out of Magnus. He doesn't have to know Robert Lightwood in order to see the truth in his eyes, and Magnus hopes that Alec can gain a relationship with at least his father. Magnus' relationship with his own father is something that he cherishes. He hopes and prays that Robert is sincere with his intentions of wanting his son back in his life.

Alexander clears his throat, "She didn't mention any of that to me."

Magnus can feel his eyes water at how vulnerable and small Alec's voice sounds, though not enough to spill over. Magnus chances a glance around the room, wondering if he can find Maryse Lightwood, but Maryse is only a few feet away from Robert. Just far enough away to give the illusion of privacy, but clearly eavesdropping on them. Upon further inspection, it seems that the entire party is listening in on the conversation. Maryse seems to realize this as well, and strides up next to her husband.

"Robert, can we please not air out our business to a room full of people we don't know." She says angrily. Robert doesn't seem to be fazed.

"No Maryse, I want everyone to know why you turned our son away at his most vulnerable moment," Robert sneers at his wife, then adds as an afterthought. "Alec seems to know just about everyone in this room anyway." In Magnus' peripheral vision, he sees Alec's face reddening in embarrassment.

"Actually, why don't we take this out to the patio?" Magnus butts in. "Just because you two have issues, doesn't mean you have the right to embarrass your son."

"And you are?" Maryse asks condescendingly.

Magnus raises an eyebrow, completely unimpressed by the woman. "Magnus Bane. I'm Alexander's boyfriend, and you are currently making a fool of yourself in my father's establishment."

Magnus sees Maryse visibly pale. She gives a turse nod, then he leads them to the outdoor patio. His arm never leaving Alec's side. Once outside, Alexander turns to face his mother so quickly, he nearly knocks Magnus over.

"What do you really want Maryse? You obviously didn't contact me out of the kindness of your heart, if you even have a heart!" Alec yells, causing both Robert and Maryse to flinch. It doesn't seem that he's going to hold back now that they're outside and away from prying eyes. Magnus doesn't blame him.

"I want my children and my husband back!" Maryse shouts. It doesn't seem like that's a sufficient enough answer for Alexander. Magnus sees that by the look on his face, Alec is becoming even more angry.

"You mean your heterosexual children, or all three of us?" Alec's voice is calm, cold, and detached. _Oh shit!_ Magnus thinks. He knows that voice well. It's the same tone that Alec used the night after Magnus' screw up. Alexander is beyond furious, which Magnus can't blame him. It's taking all of Magnus' energy to not blow up on Maryse himself. There's a long pause before Maryse speaks.

"If it means that I can get my family back, then fine. I want you back in my life. I don't understand your choice, but I guess I can learn to deal with it." Maryse finally says.

Alexander stares at his mother for a moment, then suddenly his shoulders slump forward and he lets out a resigned sigh. "Fine. But I'm not doing this for myself, or for you Maryse. I'm doing this for Jace and Izzy. I know what it's like to be alone for years at a time, and I'm not going to let that happen to them."

"Thank you." Maryse says, then steps back inside. Robert on the other hand lingers.

"I am truly sorry son. But I am sincere when I say that I do want you in my life." Robert says, seemingly a little sad.

"I want that too dad. I'll be happy to get to know you again." Alec replies. Robert walks up to his son and pulls him into a hug. They exchange numbers, then Robert excuses himself to join the party.

Once they're alone, Magnus pulls Alec into an embrace, trying to give as much love and comfort as he can provide.

"I'm so sorry I ruined your dad's party Magnus. I'll apologise to both of your parents before we leave tonight." Alec says as they pull apart, looking down at his feet.

"That won't be necessary, Alec." For the second time that night Magnus found himself turning to face the new speaker, though this time he recognized the voice. "You weren't the only one who invited your parents. They're my new attorney's."

Asmodeus was standing in the doorway. It looks like Alec was going to make a rebuttal, but Asmodeus cuts him off. "If we had known the names of our new attorney's, one I would have fired them, and two, I never would have put you in the position you were in tonight. And for that, I am truly sorry son."

"It wasn't your fault Asmodeus, when I spoke to my mother on the phone, I was so hopeful that I didn't notice her decete. If I hadn't mentioned them coming here tonight, it would have happened somewhere else." Alec says.

Asmodeus steps towards Alec and pulls him into a hug. He whispers something in Alec's ear that Magnus couldn't make out, then steps away leaving the two of them alone.

Magnus steps up to his boyfriend, wraps him in his arms to give him the comfort he knows Alec needs. Magnus is sure that tonight is not the night to ask Alexander to move in with him. He's been put through enough stress, and Magnus doesn't want to be the cause of even more.

Alexander pulls away from the embrace first. Magnus looks into his eyes and sees resolve settling in. Magnus knows that they are going to be discussing this further when they get home tonight. He doesn't want Alec bottling everything up.

"Are you ready to go back inside, or would you like to stay here for a while longer?" Magnus asks.

"I'm ready to go back. I can't stay out here forever." Alec says, sounding just a resolved as he looks.

They enter the dining room, and Isabelle immediately pounces on Alec.

"What did they say? What do they want with you? Why are they even here? I could kill them both for hurting you. Are you alright?" Her questions come at rapid fire, and Alec looks like his anxiety is raising.

"Isabelle, we will answer all of your questions, just not tonight okay. Please let your brother breathe and process the conversation before making him relive it?" Magnus asks, earnestly.

Isabelle doesn't seem happy about having to wait for answers, but she isn't making any protests either. She gives Magnus a curt nod, then heads back to her table.

"Thank you." Alec whispers close in Magnus' ear, sending shivers down his spine.

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Let's just try to enjoy the rest of the evening, shall we?" Alexander nods his head and allows Magnus to guide them back to their table.

They sit, and converse with all of their friends who are either sitting with them, or very close to them, while enjoying their meal.

Jace has outdone himself with the menu for tonight. Of course before the dinner, there were serves walking around offering various samples of their starters. They had bacon wrapped scallops, stuffed mushrooms, and stuffed clams with pancetta. The chosen salad was simple and light, baby spinach with fresh strawberries, dried cranberries, feta cheese and candied pecans crumbled on top, and a berry balsamic vinaigrette dressing. The main course was a seared tuna with pasta, and a side of grilled asparagus.

Once the dinner plates were cleared, Magnus sees his father standing with his glass in his hand and Jace beside him.

"May I have everyone's attention, please?" Asmodeus address the room then waits for everyone to quiet down before continuing. "I would like to introduce you all to my head chef for my new restaurant, _The East River Delicacy,_ Mister Jace Herondale." Jace steps forward with a smile, and waves at the guests. Asmodeus waits a moment for everyone to quiet, once again.

"I originally hired Jace as a mentee. I had every intention of making Jace the sous chef for this restaurant and hire a more experienced head chef, but now I'm glad I went against my better judgement. Jace never once disappointed me. He quickly learned the business side of running a restaurant, then he wowed me with his cooking skills. Jace proved to me that he's not only an outstanding chef, but he knows how to take charge when needed, make difficult decisions, and has impeccable leadership skills. " Asmodeus says, looking at Jace who seems to be blushing, then turns back to the crowd. "One night I was discussing the opening to my beautiful wife. I told her that after many many interviews, I just couldn't find a chef that lived up to Jace's expectations. My darling, Annisa mentioned that I should just hire Jace as my head chef." Asmodeus turns back to Jace, "And someday, I would like to bring Jace on as an equal owner of _The East River Delicacy._ For he was the one who helped me build this place from the ground up. How about it kid? Do you wanna run this place someday?"

Magnus looks at Alexander, who's staring at his younger brother with a shocked but proud look in his eyes. Magnus also glances back to his father and Jace, Jace equally as shocked and surprise.

"I would be an honored, sir." Jace says, clearly thrilled and overwhelmed.

Asmodeus shakes Jace's hand, and everyone starts cheering and congratulating Jace.

Alexander looks at Magnus, eyes shining with unshed tears. "Did you know about this?"

Magnus smiles. "I knew dad was planning something tonight, but I had no idea this is what it was."

"I'm so proud of him!" Alec exclaims, smiling happily for his brother. "Thank you, Magnus. This wouldn't have happened if it weren't for you."

"Sweetheart, I merely mentioned him to my dad, and got him an interview. Jace did everything else." Magnus then pulls Alec in for a quick kiss.

"You know, I'm kind of glad my parents are here to see Jace tonight," Alec says. "I would have hated for them to miss this." Magnus follows Alexander's gaze, which lands on Robert and Maryse. They do seem proud of Jace. Magnus just wishes they would have been proud of Alexander too. But that's also one of the things that Magnus loves about Alec, the way he sets aside his own happiness and reservations for the happiness of others. Alec is the purest person Magnus has even had the privilege of knowing, and he thanks his lucky stars to be able to call Alexander his.

The rest of the night goes swimmingly well. For dessert they have creme brulee. It's the best thing Magnus has ever put in his mouth. Magnus is in the middle of a conversation with Ragnor and Cat, when someone clears their throat behind him.

Looking back, he sees Robert Lightwood, "I'm sorry for interrupting, but I realized how rude I was being earlier and wanted to properly introduce myself." He holds his hand out for Magnus to shake.

Stunned, Magnus tentatively shakes his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mister Lightwood."

"Please, call me Robert. And again, I apologise for not properly introducing myself. I was too focused on my son." Robert says, seemingly very nervous.

"It's understandable. You haven't seen Alexander in years. If the situation were reversed, I know I would have tunnel vision as well." Magnus says with what he hopes is a reassuring smile. He still has his reservations about the Lightwood's, he just hopes for Alec's sake, they truly are sincere.

"Thank you for your kindness Magnus. It is a pleasure to meet you, and I hope I can see more of you along with Alec." With that, he says his goodbyes, returning to his table.

As the evening wears on, everyone slowly trickles out of the restaurant, saying their goodbyes, and praising Asmodeus and Jace. Magnus and Alec do the same, and head back home for a much needed relaxing night in.


	31. Chapter 31

**Hey guys! So this is it, the final chapter of Conditional Love. I hope you all enjoy it. I had a very hard time writing this chapter. My brain decided that it wanted to short circuit because my mind knew this was the end. I have to give a lot of credit to my beta, Writesalott for helping me get this chapter started. I honestly think that if it weren't for her, I never would have finished it. See the end notes for news on my next story! As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts on the chapter. Have a good weekend all!**

Chapter 30

The sun is high in the light blue sky as Alec paces across his living room. Today is the first day he's been granted hours alone with his godson, and he can't help but be nervous. Holly had given birth to a beautiful baby boy five and a half months ago, and to Alec's wonder, they'd named the baby after him, at least for the middle name: Ethan Alexander Morgenstern. Sometimes Alec still can't believe it. Then again, what has him more perplexed is the great change in his parents since the the opening of Amedeous' restaurant six months ago.

Alec has a very tentative relationship with Maryse. They basically have dinner twice a month, and… she's coordial enough, though she still sometimes throws in snide comments about his sexuality. He's not even sure if she realizes that she's doing it. Magnus doesn't like her and only goes with Alec for moral support. Alec doesn't let her homophobic slurs bother him anymore; he knows that she's never going to change.

Alec's thoughts are interrupted by the doorbell. Rushing to get it, Alec sees Jon standing there, carrying a seat with a sleeping infant in it.

"Now, he's just been fed, but I've packed some formula for him," Jon says. "And don't forget you can call either of us if you need anything."

"Got it," Alec smiles. "Anything else."

"Yeah, just make sure the kid's still alive when I get back," Jon laughs. Alec has to resist the urge to hit him. He is after all carrying a baby.

As the door closes, Alec is faced with four hours alone with Ethan. And of course today is also the day he agreed to cook dinner, so it's four hours alone with Ethan, plus food prep to do. With Ethan currently asleep, Alec decides it's best to start that now, rather than wait and run out of time after he wakes up.

Alec starts chopping and mixing the herbs he needs for his lemon garlic sauce for the chicken dish he's making tonight. As Alec is working, he thinks about how his relationship has been with his dad so far.

Robert has dinner with them at the Morgensterns' every Sunday, and also joins them for dinners with the Bane's about every other week since their dinner dates are inconsistent due to Alec, Magnus and Asmodeus' work schedules. He calls or texts Alec quite often, almost daily, and is always interested in even the smallest detail of what's going on in Alec's life. Robert really has stepped up to the plate these last six months. Due to Maryse's confession at the launch party, Robert ended up serving Maryse with divorce papers a week later. She bought Robert out of his half of their law practice. Robert went on to Blackthorne-Penhallow and Associates and became a partner with them, taking all of his previous clients with him. He seems to be extremely happy at their practice, and Asmodeus is still his client. Robert now lives in a loft in Brooklyn, which he said was to be closer to his kids and work, leaving Maryse the house in Manhattan.

As Alec is finishing up the prep work, his phone rings. Quickly answering it without checking the caller ID, Alec makes sure the baby doesn't wake up from the noise. There would have been a time when answering this number without checking first would have made for a very stressful afternoon, but as it is, Alec welcomes the voice on the other line.

"Hey dad," he whispers.

"Is everything okay? Why are you whispering?" Robert asks.

"I'm babysitting Ethan today. He's napping and I don't want to wake him up." Alec softly chuckles, "What's up?"

"I wanted to ask you a question." Robert says nervously.

"Ask away." Alec tries to keep his voice neutral, not giving away that his dad's tone is making him anxious.

"Okay," Robert lets out a breath, "You know how I allowed Isabelle to set me up with a facebook account?"

"Mhm." Alec is intrigued as to where this conversation is going.

"Well, my old high school sweetheart has sent me one of those private message things. She and I have been talking for a few months now, and she wants to go on a date." Robert says. Alec is silently laughing about how his dad rambles when he gets nervous.

Quickly composing himself, "That's great dad! When's the date?"

"That's the thing, she is only free Sunday night. Then she needs to go out of town for a week so we can't really make any more plans until after she gets back." Ah, so Robert is nervous because Sunday's supposed to be their weekly dinner date.

"Don't worry about it dad. Go out and have a good time. We can have dinner Monday night." Alec says, his smile still stretching his face he cheerfully adds, "That way you can tell me all about how your date went."

He hears his father laughing on the other end of the phone, but before Robert gets the chance to respond, Alec has to cut in, "Crap! Sorry dad, gotta go," Alec yells into the phone over Ethan's sudden wails. "Baby's crying."

Alec says a quick goodbye to his dad, promising to call him back the next day, then hangs up and bends down to pick the crying infant out of his carrier. As Alec cradles Ethan in his arms, Ethan buries his head in the crook of Alec's neck, and his little fists grab tightly onto Alec's shirt. Alec can't help but to melt into a pile of goo at the action. Ethan has Alec wrapped around his little finger. Alec feeds, then burps his godson before changing his diaper. Alec can't help but wonder if he'll ever have something like this one day. He's always loved kids, and has pictured himself as a father, but he isn't sure if that's something that Magnus wants.

Speaking of his boyfriend, Magnus arrives home just as Alec sits down with Ethan on the floor in the living room.

"Hey, sweetheart." Magnus says, giving Alec a chaste kiss, he then turns and sits down, picking up Ethan in the process. "And hello, sweet pea." Magnus coos at the baby.

"How was your day with your mom?" Alec asks as he grabs the baby's teddy bear and hands it to Ethan. Instead of grabbing the stuffed animal, Ethan grabs Alec's hair, pulls on it, and lets out delighted giggles.

"Ow," Alec complains. Magnus chuckles at Ethan's antics, but quickly takes pity on Alec and helps remove the baby's hands. Ethan then grabs one of Magnus' necklaces and tries to put it in his mouth. Alec is quick to remove the necklaces altogether and puts them in their bedroom.

Alec returns to the living room to see Magnus playing peek-a-boo with his godson. Ethan is giggling and gurgling in his baby talk, while Magnus' smile is bright, and his expression is full of love. Alec quickly pulls out his phone and takes a photo of the scene before him. Then he glances at the time on his phone, and realizes that Jon will be back any minute to pick up the baby.

Alec starts putting Ethan's toys back in his diaper bag. He then runs to the kitchen to wash the bottle from earlier, and puts that in the bag as well. Plucking the kid out of Magnus' hands, Alec is determined to get his cuddle time in before Jon shows up.

"Hey! I was holding him! You've had him for hours before I got here." Magnus whines.

"I'm aware, but this kid is too lovable not to snuggle with. Plus, he loves me so…" Alec just lets the conversation die there, watching the scowl Magnus gives him.

This was in reference to a dinner over a month ago at the Morgensterns. One month ago, Ethan started getting fussy and no one could get him to calm down. Even his own mother fell short on that particular occasion. It wasn't until Alec held him that Ethan finally settled down. What had really made the joke though was that Ethan wailed even more when he was in Magnus' arms. That's when the teasing began with everyone saying that Ethan likes Alec more than he likes Magnus.

"Well, if I can't hold my nephew, I guess I'll settle for holding my wonderful boyfriend." Magnus added before pulling Alec and Ethan down on the couch and into his lap, wrapping his arms around them both. Ethan giggles at Magnus' action, and Alec internally rejoices at Magnus calling Ethan his nephew.

The moment only lasts for about five minutes when the doorbell rings. Alec slides out of Magnus' lap and puts Ethan back in his carrier as Magnus goes to let Jon in.

Jon walks in behind Magnus, spots his son and picks him up.

"How was he?" Jon asks while inspecting his son. Alec can't help but roll his eyes.

"He was perfect. We had a great day together." Alec says. Jon makes a noncommittal noise, still inspecting the baby.

"You do realize that I used to babysit my little brother everyday, right? I know it's been a long time, but watching children hasn't exactly changed." Alec says with amusement.

Jon looks up at Alec with a sheepish look on his face, and a slight blush forming, "Right, sorry."

"No worries, man. I get it. If I was a new dad, I'm sure I'd be the same way." Alec gives Jon a bro hug, then leads him to the door.

"See you guys on Sunday. I need to get back to Holly." Jon gives them each one last hug, then leaves.

Magnus and Alec head into the kitchen to finish making dinner. Because of Alec's prep work from earlier, all they need to do is preheat the oven and get started. Magnus grabs a pot to start cooking the rice, while Alec gets the baby spinach out of the refrigerator to start chopping. He didn't want to do it too soon and have the spinach start browning and wilting at the edges. Once he finishes his task, Alec gets the chicken out, and starts placing that, the lemon sauce, and the spinach in the pan and puts it in the oven just as the doorbell rings. Leaving Magnus to his task, Alec answers the door for his sister and brother-in-law.

It's been about two months since Alec has been able to call Simon his brother-in-law. The wedding had been beautiful, held outside in the backyard of their childhood home. The colors she chose, according to Magnus, were canary cream and iris, or in Alec's words light yellow and light purple. The flowers were a mix of yellow and white roses, with light purple ribbons wrapped around the stems. Considering the Lightwood's aren't religious, Izzy didn't mind adding Simon's customs. The ceremony itself consisted of traditional Jewish customs such as having Simon breaking the glass at the end of the ceremony, as well as nontraditional customs. Rather than Simon and Izzy lighting a unity candle, they gave everyone a stone to hold during the ceremony. Then they all placed the stone in a decorative bowl at the end.

Just as Alec got the two newlyweds situated, Magnus called for him in the kitchen. Alec walks into the kitchen to see his boyfriend stirring the rice with one hand, with a bottle of wine tucked between his arm and his chest. The wine bottle had a corkscrew barely sticking out of it and Alec was laughing as he grabs the bottle of wine, uncorking it for his boyfriend and placing it back on the counter to breathe before serving. Alec then takes out the glasses and proceeds to set the table for dinner. Izzy helps Alec set the table, while Simon helps Magnus plate the food.

"I babysat Ethan today," Alec said proud of himself.

"Good for you," his sister teased him. "You've accomplished what every 13 year old girl in the world has."

"Oh shush," Alec scoffed.

"And speaking of babies," Magnus says as he enters the dining room. "Did you hear about Aline and Helen?"

"No what?" Simon asks, following closely behind.

"They've finally got a confirmed successful pregnancy," Magnus giggles at Izzy and Simon's confused looks. "In Vitro fertilization."

"I'm so happy for them," Izzy smiles. "All this talk about babies is giving me baby fever!"

With wide eyes, Simon chokes on his wine, "What?"

"Oh, relax Simon. We're not ready for that yet. It just makes me wish that we were." Izzy says with a flick of her wrist. Alec and Magnus chuckle at Simon's reaction.

"Has anyone heard from Jace and Clary? They're usually never late." Simon asks.

"I'm not sure, but dinner's ready, should we wait for them or should we just go ahead and start?" Magnus questions.

"I say we start. I'll text them to find out how long they'll be. Maybe Clary got held up at the hospital or something." Izzy grabs her phone and starts texting.

Just as Isabelle sets her phone down, the doorbell rings. Magnus excuses himself and gets up to greet the late comers.

"We have an announcement to make," Jace proclaims as he and Clary enter the dining room.

"Clary's pregnant!" Izzy exclaims.

"No!" Clary and Jace shoot back simultaneously.

"We're buying a house together," Jace says instead.

"That's amazing," Alec beams at him.

"Yeah, that's why we were late getting here. Our Realtor had a last minute showing for us. The house is gorgeous! It's a brownstone, built in the early nineteenth century. It has three stories - which I don't even know what we're going to do with all of that room - and the architecture is just absolutely beautiful! Everything in there is original, or as close to original as possible! Jace and I put an offer on it right away, we're just waiting to see if the owners accept!" Clary exclaims excitedly.

"Oh my god! Clary, you _have_ to let me go furniture shopping with you! I could help you design the interior of the house!" Izzy's jumping up and down in her seat, Magnus looking only slightly more composed, nodding along with Izzy.

Alec, Simon and Jace just laugh at their enthusiasm.

"That's a big step guys," Alec congratulates them. "But I gotta ask, how did you figure out you were ready for that?"

"I think we were both thinking the same thing," Jace explained. "Though come to think of it I don't actually remember how we figured that out."

"Kinda like us," Alec offered, with a chuckle. "Magnus and I both wanted to live together, but kept putting off asking, worried what the other would say."

"I remember how it went," Magnus pitched in, smiling softly at the memory. "I was planning on asking Alexander at the restaurant opening, but with all of the parent drama, I decided to wait. I kept putting it off and putting it off, that by the time Alec had to start packing his things up to move back in with you guys." Magnus flourishes his fork towards Jace and Clary, "I just blurted it out!"

"That sounds about right," Alec pitches in with a laugh. "It was more of a 'I don't want you to go. Stay here with me forever' kind of thing. It almost sounded like he had Tourettes!"

Everyone laughs at Alec's story. He's usually the calm one out of the group, so Alec being so animated has everyone in hysterics. Alec's very proud of himself for getting that reaction from his family.

"Anyway!" Magnus playfully glares at Alec once everyone's laughter dies down, "After his initial shock wore off, he sputtered out his answer. Then for the rest of the night, I helped him put all of his clothes back."

The rest of the evening is filled with talking. The group talks about anything and everything pertaining to Jace and Clary's new potential home. The girls and Magnus are 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over the pictures Clary is showing them of the brownstone, and making plans to go shopping for new furniture.

Simon, Jace and Alec are talking about making the basement into a man cave where they can all hang out without disrupting 'girls night' because that's a thing that Izzy, Clary, Helen and Aline do now. Jace is even planning on turning one of the spare bedrooms into a room for Ethan to have when he stays with his aunt and uncle overnight.

The evening grows late, and everyone decides that it's time for them to go home. Izzy as always, gives Alec a tight hug. He returns the hug and kisses the top of her head, then does the same for Clary. Alec hugs Jace and Simon in turn before everyone files out, one at a time.

As they close the door on their last guest, he and Magnus head to the kitchen to start cleaning up. Alec can't help but think about the long road that had lead him here. After coming out, Clary was the one person who helped him escape his dark space. She became his family, and in turn, the Morgensterns' and Jon came into his life as well. They welcomed Alec in their lives with open arms. He's also met amazing people through his job. Sebastian and Jordan are still some of his closest friends. They never once judged him based off his sexuality. Then there's Aline and Helen. Those two women became just as important to Alec as Izzy and Clary are. Alec also can't forget about his father. After finding out that Robert still loves him, and wants them to reconcile, Alec hasn't been happier. Then of course there's Magnus coming into his life, and turning it upside down even more. Just when Alec thought that he would be alone forever, this beautiful man wormed his way into his heart, and Alec will never let go of that love. All these years of thinking that he was alone was a lie. Alec has more family, and more love than many others find in a lifetime. Once upon a time, Alec thought that love always came with conditions, but now he knows that isn't true at all. The people who truly care about you, will love you for who you are, no matter what. Every single person in Alec's life loves him the same way he loves them, _unconditionally_. From the moment Magnus first told Alec he loved him, to every small gesture and kind word since, Magnus had been an open book, showing affection without hesitation in front of their coworkers and friends. With every small touch against the small of Alec's back, or gentle caress up and down Alec's arms, he felt Magnus's love. Sometimes in the way they they move around each other, it felt as though they were one person instead of two. Just Magnus's presence could turn even the most mundane tasks into a delicate dance of affection they've perfected over the last year. Alec knew he was loved in the way his boyfriend looked at him. There's always a softness in his eyes that Magnus saved just for him. It was a look that Alec wanted to see for the rest of his life.

And suddenly it hits him. Alec wants to spend the rest of his life with Magnus, so what's he waiting for? There won't be a perfect moment, because that isn't what life is about. Life is about all the ordinary moments that make each and every day perfect. Alec doesn't want to repeat his mistakes. He doesn't want to be thinking about this for ages, while never speaking it aloud. If this is what he wants, the only way to know if Magnus wants it too, is to ask.

Alec places the last dish in the dishwasher as Magnus is wiping down the countertop. Alec grabs the sponge from Magnus and sets it aside. Grabbing both of Magnus' hands, Alec turns Magnus to where they're facing each other. Then Alec gets down on one knee.

"Alexander, what…" But Magnus stops short, his eyes as big as saucers.

Alec maintains eye contact and takes a deep breath, thinking there's no time like the present before he speaks. "Marry me?"

The look on Magnus face makes Alec think that it may be too soon for this, but he stands firm, maintaining eye contact and letting Magnus know how serious he is about his question. Then after what feels like an eternity, Alec notices tears glistening in Magnus' eyes and a soft smile forming his lips.

"Yes!" Magnus exclaims, launching himself at Alec and connects their lips, knocking them both over in the process.

Breaking from the kiss after either seconds or hours, Alec isn't sure, Alec looks at Magnus smiling, tears spilling over from the pure joy of his answer, "God! I am so irrevocably in love with you, Magnus. You have just made me the happiest man alive."

"Alexander, you and you alone, will forever be my happiness. I can't wait to become, Mister Magnus Lightwood-Bane and spend the rest of my life with you."

 _The End._

~oOo~

 _New Sory, The Chef and His CEO. Release date: Friday, May 4th_

 _Alec is a shy, quiet kind of guy who lands a job as the personal chef for the CEO of one of the most popular record companies in all of New York. This CEO seems like he's on top of the world in the eyes of the media, but deep down, he's a scarred man, with many skeletons in his closet who only wants to find someone to love, and be loved in return._


End file.
